The Pima Community College softball team opened ACCAC conference play on Saturday with a doubleheader sweep of Mesa on the road.
The Aztecs scored 18 runs and got offensive output from sophomore Talia Martin (Mountain View), who finished the day going 4 for 8 with four RBIs and two runs. Sophomore Alyssa Noriega (Pueblo) was 3 for 7 with an RBI and three runs.
Freshman Arianna Flores (Salpointe Catholic) pitched a complete-game gem and sophomore Jessica Thompson (Tanque Verde) tossed three shutout innings in her start.
Game 1: (15) Pima 3, Mesa 1: The Aztecs got on the board in the fourth inning and held off a rally from Mesa in the seventh.
Freshmen Jiselle Nunez (Tucson) and Noriega hit back-to-back singles to open the fourth inning. With one out, freshman Julissa Lopez (Tucson) hit a sacrifice fly to bring in pinch-runner Nevaeh Bracamonte. Freshman Amerika Lopez-Bedoy (Sunnyside) followed with an RBI double to score Noriega as the Aztecs took a 2-0 lead.
They added to their lead in the seventh inning when Martin hit an RBI double to bring in pinch runner Uriah Burrell (Catalina Foothills). Lopez-Bedoy hit a lead-off single to start the inning.
Mesa’s Alyssa Antillon broke up Flores’ no-hit bid with a lead-off solo home run in the top of the seventh inning. Flores got the next three outs to end the game.
Lopez-Bedoy finished the game 2 for 3 with an RBI. Martin went 1 for 4 with an RBI while Lopez was 1 for 3 with an RBI. Noriega finished 1 for 3 with a run.
Flores pitched a complete-game, giving up one run on one hit with 12 strikeouts and three walks on 103 pitches.
Game 2: (15) Pima 15, Mesa 0 (5 innings): The Aztecs left no doubt in the second game as they scored eight runs in the first inning and shut out Mesa to earn the run-rule win.
Noriega and sophomore Cheyanne Ortiz (Tucson) each hit RBI singles in the first inning while Lopez Bedoy drove in a run on a sacrifice fly. Martin capped off the inning with a three-run homer to center field, driving in Ortiz and freshman Clarissa Figueroa (Mountain View) to give Pima an 8-0 lead.
The Aztecs scored two more runs in the second inning as sophomore Natalya Rivera (Sunnyside) hit an RBI triple to score Noriega. Rivera scored on the next at-bat by Lopez, who hit a sacrifice fly to make it 10-0.
The Aztecs got an RBI double by freshman Legend Otero and an RBI single from Bracamonte as part of a four-run fourth inning.
Bracamonte added to the lead in the fifth inning with an RBI single to drive in Otero.
Martin finished 3 for 4 with three RBIs and two runs while Bracamonte closed out the game, going 2 for 3 with two RBIs and a run. Otero was 2 for 3 with an RBI and two runs and Noriega went 2 for 4 with an RBI and two runs. Ortiz finished 1 for 3 with an RBI and a run.
Thompson picked up the win after she pitched three innings, giving up three hits with three strikeouts and one walk.
The Aztecs will play their home opener at the West Campus Aztec Softball Field on Tuesday against Glendale in an ACCAC doubleheader. First game starts at 12:00 p.m.
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