The No. 7 Pima Community College softball team survived a scare on Tuesday in the first game of a ACCAC doubleheader at Paradise Valley, but came through with a sweep ahead of this weekend’s anticipated matchup with South Mountain at Phoenix.
Pima (38-5, 30-4 ACCAC) beat Paradise Valley 3-2 in the first game and 13-1 in five innings in the second game.
The Aztecs will play at No. 10 South Mountain (37-10, 28-6) on Saturday at noon and 2 p.m. Pima leads the Cougars by two games in the standings with six more games left on the conference schedule. The teams have split doubleheaders at South Mountain and Pima earlier this season.
Pima was led by Izabel Rodriguez (Walden Grove) in the doubleheader, going 6 for 8 with three RBIs, four runs, two doubles and a triple in the two games against Paradise Valley (6-30, 5-29).
Sophomore Jiselle Nunez (Tucson) finished 4 for 5 with four RBIs, two runs, two walks, a double and a home run. Sophomore Amerika Lopez-Bedoy (Sunnyside) was 2 for 6 with two RBIs, two runs and a walk.
Sophomores Belen Camacho (Pueblo) and Sariah Ferrentino (Sabino) picked up the wins in the circle.
Game 1: (7) Pima 3, Paradise Valley 2
The Aztecs rallied with runs in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings to get the win.
The Pumas scored two runs in the second inning. The Aztecs had four hits in the first four innings but nothing to show for it.
Rodriguez hit an RBI double to score Lopez-Bedoy in the fifth inning to cut the lead in half.
Sophomore Julissa Lopez (Tucson) hit a lead-off double in the sixth inning and advanced to third base on a passed ball. Freshman Soleil Ponce (Sunnyside) hit a fielder’s choice to second base and Lopez beat the throw at home plate to tie the game at 2-2.
Lopez hit an RBI single to right field that scored Rodriguez in the seventh inning with two outs.
Camacho put the Pumas down in order to secure the win. She pitched five innings in relief, giving up two hits with 10 strikeouts on 85 pitches.
Rodriguez finished the game 3 for 4 with an RBI and a run while Lopez went 2 for 4 with an RBI and a run. Lopez-Bedoy was 1 for 3 with a run.
Game 2: (7) Pima 13, Paradise Valley 1 (F/5)
The Aztecs scored 10 runs in the first inning to earn the run rule victory.
Freshman Angelina Dehler (Empire) drove in sophomore Clarissa Figueroa (Mountain View) and Nunez with an RBI single to make it 3-0.
Later, Rodriguez took an RBI triple to right field, driving in freshmen Tayah Lyons and Kayla Hendrix (Canyon del Oro) to make it 8-0. Nunez capped the inning with a two-run homer to center field, scoring Rodriguez. Nunez, Lyons, and Hendrix all had RBI hits in the inning.
Lopez-Bedoy added insurance in the third inning when she hit a two-run single, bringing around Rodriguez and Figueroa to make it 13-0. Nunez drew a bases-loaded walk earlier in the inning to score freshman Isabel Mendoza (Cienega).
Nunez closed out the game, going 2 for 2 with four RBIs, two runs and two walks. Rodriguez finished 2 for 4 with two RBIs and three runs. Lopez-Bedoy went 1 for 3 with two RBIs and a run. Figueroa was 2 for 3 with two runs while Lyons finished 2 for 3 with an RBI and a run. Dehler went 1 for 4 with two RBIs and a run. Ponce and Mendoza were each 1 for 2 with runs.
Ferrentino picked up the win as she pitched four innings, giving up one run on five hits with one strikeout and two walks on 56 pitches.
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