Yavapai and South Mountain are tied at the top of ACCAC baseball as the calendar turns to March.
YC (19-2, 9-1) swept all four of its games to close February. First, the Roughriders took two from Mesa, 3-2 (7) and 9-1. Yavapai scored once in each of the last three innings, including the game-winner in the bottom of the seventh, to take the opener of a doubleheader. Cameron Jowaizas homered. In game two Christian Encarnacion-Strand had three hits including a double and a home run with two RBIs.
Yavapai then took a pair from Cochise, 10-9 (8) and 7-5 (7). The first game saw C.J. Valdez and Jowaizas both collect three hits. Valdez homered and drove in three while Jowaizas had a double and a homer with two driven in. Alex Stinnett had a pair of hits with a triple and four knocked in.
South Mountain is also 9-1 in conference play, along with 14-7 overall. The Cougars also won four times last week. It started with two against Paradise Valley, 4-1 and 8-3 (9). Efrain Cervantes and Davis Heller each had two hits for SMCC in the first contest with Heller driving in two. Austin Schlagel and Eddie Niemann both hit safely twice for PVCC. The first game was on the road. Back at home for the second, South got three hits from Heller and a pair of doubles with two RBIs from Brodie Marino in the win.
In its next pair of games South Mountain took two tight ones from Chandler-Gilbert, 4-2 and 5-4. In the first game, Easton Erwin collected two hits with a double and an RBI in the win, while J.C. Carroll had three hits for CGCC. A day later, the Cougars held off a three-run-run rally in the bottom of the ninth for the victory. Holden Breeze had a double and drove in one for SMCC.
Central Arizona (15-5-2, 8-2) took three of four during the week. It began with a sweep of GateWay, 13-0 (7), 6-5 (11). Calvin Schapira pitched a no-hitter with ten strikeouts, while Preston Godfrey and Brandham Ponce both homered to pace CAC in game one. The next day, on the road, Central broke a deadlock with a run in the 11th to complete the two-game sweep. Seth Beckstead had three hits ands two RBIs for the Vaqueros and Kiko Romero also chimed in with thee hits. Randy Hutson had two hits with a triple and drove in a run for GCC.
CAC then split a doubleheader at home against Arizona Western, falling 5-2 in seven inning before winning 3-2. Daniel Gonzalez drove in a pair for AZW in game one, while Central got three hits from Matt Aribal. Tyler Kelly had a double among his two hits in the win while CAC pitching scattered four singles in the nightcap.
