The Scottsdale Community College (SCC) Artichokes opened their weekend series against the South Mountain Community College (SMCC) Cougars at home.

SCC (15-14) and SMCC (22-9) last met in February, where the Cougars swept the Artichokes, winning the first game 9-4 and the second game 6-1.

SCC head Coach Ty Gavin said about the Cougars, “They’re the defending champs in the league, they’re in first place this year, they play great baseball. We had two solid games against them where it was real tight and then they were able to extend it a little.”

Gavin shifted the focus back on his team heading into Friday’s game:

“It comes down to us. Yes, we’ll gameplan for ‘em and for who we’re gonna see but it comes down, 90% of it it’s our guys. If we play really good Scottsdale baseball, we’ll be right there.”

In the top of the second inning, the Cougars got traffic on base with a walk by Luke Hewes and their first hit of the game; a single by Liu Rodriguez Jr.

It set up the bottom hole hitter Nuri Todd with two outs and two runners on base.

SMCC scored first during a run down between first and second base; Rodriguez was tagged out but the Cougars still got the run from Hewes making it home.

After the bottom of the second inning, SMCC’s right-handed starter Cody Stoller was looking comfortable on the mound; he had retired six of seven batters faced so far, striking out two batters already.

Then, in the bottom of the third inning, leadoff hitter Brevin Matthews immediately got SCC’s offense to work swinging on the first pitch for a base hit.

SCC looked to get aggressive on the bases as Matthews took off for second when he saw Stoller’s pitch go in the dirt.

But the Cougar’s catcher Ernier Alvarez showed off the arm behind home plate, throwing Matthews out.

The Artichokes were still able to leave the inning with one run scored off a rip in the right field gap by Carson Feddema.

SMCC’s center fielder overplayed the bounce leading to a scramble that allowed Braedan Reichert to slide home just in time.

SCC’s starter, right-hander Braden Burness started the top of the fourth inning with two strikeouts.

With two outs, the next batter, Liu Rodriguez Jr., took Burness’s first pitch for a single the other way.

Then Burness hit the next batter, Nathan Bayus.

What looked like a strong inning for Burness, started to get out of hand after he walked the next batter Nuri Todd—loading the bases with two outs.

All Burness needed was one more out to escape the fourth inning jam but at the plate was SMCC’s top of the lineup hitter, Bobby Pierce Jr.

Pierce hit a no doubter—grand slam.

A first for Pierce in his career.

“It feels good to come through for the team. Two out hits are a killer, so it’s always fun to come through for the team,” Pierce said.

SCC’s offense tried to answer back as Luke Calendo hit a leadoff single to open the bottom of the fourth.

The Artichokes had a chance to score with two runners on base, but with Brevin Matthews groundout, it left both runners stranded.

A common theme this game so far for SCC; six hits but only one run scored.

Calendo continued to work offensively as he picked up an RBI single in the bottom of the fifth; however, the score was still 6-2 in favor of the Cougars.

Then, in the top of the sixth, Pierce struck lightning twice with a solo shot to right field.

The Cougar dugout was hyped for their teammates second home run of the game—another first in Pierce’s career.

Being down 7-2, the Artichoke offense needed to mount their comeback.

A walk by Talan Shirey and an error by the Cougar’s shortstop helped put two runners on base with no outs.

Despite the strong start to the inning, SCC was able to only score one run.

In the seventh inning, the Cougars ran away with the game.

Bayus chopped a ball between the infield gap.

As it rolled into the outfield, Artichoke’s right fielder Logan Spetz let the ball get past him and to the wall.

From there, it was a race to home plate between Spetz’s relay and Bayus’s legs.

Bayus slid into home safely—an inside-the-park home run.

“I was not [expecting that] at all, I saw the ball go past him out there, and I was like ‘Alright, sweet, let’s dig for three’, and then I got to third and I saw my coach waving me in and I was like ‘Alright, we gotta get going, we gotta get dirty’.”

Bayus said he might’ve had a moment like this in high school but for it to happen at this level meant more, knowing his coaches trusted him to make it all the way home.

The Cougars were up 10-3 and the scoring continued with Pierce at the plate.

Pierce recorded his third hit of the game following an RBI single.

His final stat, 3 for 4 at the plate, two home runs, six RBIs—oh, and the grand slam.

“I never hit a grand slam or two homers so it’s a nice day. It was fun,” Pierce said.

SMCC won after seven innings, 12-3.

“Two things: free bases when we’re pitching, the walks, hit-by-pitches, and errors, those are killers. And when we get hits—we gotta score ‘em,” Gavin said.

SCC’s pitching staff allowed eight walks.

The Artichokes will regroup for the second match of the weekend series at South Mountain on Saturday.