Pima scored six runs in the first two innings and rode the pitching of JT Drake to beat South Mountain 8-2 in Game 2 of the ACCAC Region I, Division I championship series at Aztec West Campus Field on Friday afternoon.
Pima (45-15) will host South Mountain (35-25) in the final game of the best-of-three series on Saturday at noon.
The Aztecs scored four times thanks to an error and three straight walks following the first out of the first inning.
Brant Kragel and Nolan Ganter each hit RBI singles as part of the four-run rally.
In the second inning, after the bases become loaded following a single by Nick Arias and two walks, Kragel walked to force in a run. Ganter then hit a sacrifice fly to drive in another run to increase the lead to 6-0.
Kragel, who hit a home run in the seventh inning, finished 2 for 3 with a run and three RBIs.
Drake allowed only five hits in seven innings with four strikeouts and two walks.
After South Mountain rallied for two runs in the top of the sixth, Pima answered with a run in the sixth and seventh innings off Jontae Hennesy’s RBI single and Kragel’s home run.
An interesting note with this series — both baseball coaches (Pima’s Ken Jacome and South Mountain’s Todd Eastin) are the athletic directors at their respective colleges. Jacome was recently appointed to be Pima’s athletic director after Jim Monaco retired.
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