Senior has 4 RBIs, Hicks shines in relief as Pima baseball sweeps Eastern Arizona

The Pima Community College baseball team (34-10, 20-8 in ACCAC) secured 20 ACCAC conference wins for the fifth straight year (excluding the 2020 COVID season) on Saturday as they swept Eastern Arizona College (21-16, 13-15). The day saw a doubleheader between two ACCAC Division I programs.

The No. 19-ranked Aztecs have won five straight and 12 of their last 14 games. Freshman Collin Senior (Horizon HS) closed out the day going 3 for 7 with four RBIs and a run scored. Sophomore Jontae Hennesy (Horizon HS) finished 4 for 6 with two RBIs, two runs and two walks. Sophomore Brant Kragel was 2 for 5 with three RBIs and a run scored. Sophomore J.T. Drake threw a complete-game and fellow sophomore Garrett Hicks (Verrado HS) pitched five and two-third innings of shutout ball in relief.

Game 1: (19) Pima CC Aztecs 2, Eastern Arizona College 1: The Aztecs scored their two runs in the 1st inning and held off a Gila Monsters’ rally.

Kragel put the Aztecs on the board with an RBI double to plate sophomore David Shackelford, who walked in the previous at-bat. Senior followed with an RBI single to drive in Kragel.

Senior went 1 for 2 with an RBI while Kragel was 1 for 3 with an RBI and a run scored. Sophomore Antonio Avila finished the game 2 for 2. 

The Gila Monsters cut Pima’s lead in half with a run in the 4th inning. Drake did not give up a hit in the final three innings he pitched. He threw a complete game, giving up one run (one earned) on three hits with seven strikeouts on 87 pitches.

EAC   0 0 0 1 0 0 0   1   3   0
PCC   2 0 0 0 0 0 0   2   5   2

W – Drake (7-2). 2B: Kragel.

Game 2: (19) Pima CC Aztecs 12, Eastern Arizona College Gila Monsters 2 (7 innings): Senior hit a walk-off two-run RBI single to cap off a five-run 7th inning to earn the run rule victory.

The Aztecs loaded the bases to begin the 7th, and Hennesy hit a two-run RBI single to bring around sophomore Austin Madsen (Canyon del Oro HS) and Avila to make it 9-2. Sophomore Caleb Herd (Cienega HS) scored on a balk two batters later. Sophomore Ruben Castro (Tucson Magnet HS) hit a fielder’s choice to reach base, Shackelford hit a single and sophomore Benji Cazares hit a single to load the bases again to set up Senior’s walk-off.

Hennesy hit a lead-off triple in the 1st inning and scored on Castro’s groundout to tie the game at 1-1.

The Gila Monsters took the lead with a run in the 2nd inning but the Aztecs responded in the 3rd with two runs. Kragel hit a two-run RBI single to plate Hennesy and Castro, who hit back-to-back singles to start off the 3rd inning as Pima took a 3-2 advantage.

The Aztecs padded their lead in the 5th inning when Madsen hit an RBI single, and Herd drove a two-run RBI single to make it 6-2.

Senior hit an RBI double in the 6th inning and finished 2 for 5 with three RBIs and a run scored while Hennesy went 3 for 4 with two RBIs and two runs. Madsen was 2 for 4 with an RBI and two runs. Herd closed it out by going 1 for 3 with two RBIs and a run and Kragel went 1 for 2 with two RBIs. Shackelford finished 2 for 2 with two runs and two walks.

Hicks got the win after he pitched the final five and two-third innings in relief, giving up two hits with nine strikeouts and one walk on 76 pitches.

EAC   1 1 0 0 0 0 0    2     3    1
PCC   1 0 2 0 3 1 5   12   14   2

W – Hicks (4-1). 2B: Senior. 3B: Hennesy. SB: Cummings.

The Aztecs will be back at the West Campus Aztec Field on Tuesday when they host Central Arizona College in an ACCAC doubleheader. First game starts at noon.