With Pima Community College’s baseball team down to its final game of the regular season, the Aztecs are still in contention for the postseason following Wednesday’s 12-8 victory over Glendale at the West Campus Aztec Field.
Pima is 27-25 overall and 19-20 in the ACCAC after the victory with one game left at first-place South Mountain (39-14, 30-8) on Saturday at noon.
The top four teams qualify for the Region I, Division II playoffs that start April 30.
Pima is in fifth place, but only a half-game behind Glendale (26-22, 19-19) and Chandler-Gilbert (27-26, 19-19) for the last playoff spot.
Glendale and Chandler-Gilbert have two games remaining.
Glendale hosts Paradise Valley (25-29, 17-21) on Friday and plays at Phoenix (18-30, 14-23) on Saturday.
Chandler-Gilbert hosts Phoenix on Friday and plays at Mesa (25-27, 14-23) on Saturday.
In order for Pima to make the playoffs outright, it has to beat South Mountain and hope Glendale and/or Chandler-Gilbert lose their last two games.
Pima can also make the postseason if it beats South Mountain to finish 20-20 and ties Glendale if the Gauchos finish with the same record.
The Aztecs hold a 3-2 edge over Glendale this season but are 1-4 against Chandler-Gilbert.
Pima’s crucial victory over Glendale on Wednesday marked the last game at home for many of the team’s sophomores.
The Aztecs rallied with six runs in the seventh inning and three in the eighth to beat the Gauchos.
There were four lead changes in the game.
The Aztecs trailed 6-3 heading into the bottom of the seventh inning.
Freshman Aciel Guillen (Salpointe Catholic) hit a sacrifice fly to score sophomore Owen Wade. Sophomore Matt MacDonald followed with an RBI triple to bring in sophomore Mike Jones (Canyon del Oro). Sophomore Ramon Martinez produced Pima’s third straight RBI hit as he doubled to drive in MacDonald to tie the game at 6.
The Aztecs took the lead when Martinez scored on a balk. Two batters later, freshmanAdriel Figueroa-Brito hit an RBI single to plate sophomore Leon Cereceres. Freshman Cooper Kruk (Catalina Foothills) capped off the inning with his RBI single that brought in Figueroa-Brito to make it 9-6.
Guillen and MacDonald drew back-to-back walks to open the eighth inning. With one out, Cereceres drove a shot to right field to score them both. Two batters later, sophomore Jackson Glueck hit an RBI double to center field to score Cereceres as Pima went up 12-6.
The Aztecs got on the board in the first inning when Kruk hit an RBI single to score Figueroa-Brito.
Guillen put the Aztecs up 3-2 in the fourth inning on his RBI double that brought in freshman Damian Lorta (Desert View) and Jones.
Glendale’s Josue Malave put the Gauchos ahead 6-3 in the fifth inning with a grand slam.
Guillen finished with three RBIs. Cereceres, Kruk, Figueroa-Brito and Glueck each went 2 for 5. Cereceres had two RBIs and two runs, Kruk had two RBIs, Figueroa-Brito finished with an RBI and two runs, and Glueck had an RBI.
MacDonald had an RBI and two runs. Jones went 2 for 4 with two runs.
The Aztecs finished with eight doubles.
Freshman Jesse Neretlis (4-2) picked up the win in relief as he pitched four innings of no-hit ball with six strikeouts on 50 pitches.
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