The Scottsdale Community College Artichokes (31-23 overall, 23-17 conference) hosted the Chandler-Gilbert Community College Coyotes (30-26 overall, 21-19 conference) for game one of the NJCAA Region I Tournament.
SCC has won three of the five matchups against CGCC during the regular season, but both teams have posted great records throughout April, with SCC at 8-4 this month and CGCC at 8-5 this month.
The two teams were playing great baseball just in time for the tournament.
Starting for the Artichokes was right-handed sophomore Dalton Hanson (6-1, 3.82 ERA, 75.1 IP).
Starting for the Coyotes was left-handed sophomore Max Arlich (7-3, 4.27 ERA, 71.2 IP).
Each team’s starter has shown the capability to shut down opponents, but it would be difficult with how explosive both CGCC’s and SCC’s offenses have been playing.
In the Coyotes’ last regular-season game, they won 15-0 and mashed three homers.
Meanwhile, in the Artichokes’ last regular-season game, they won 9-7 and totaled nine hits.
Both pitchers posted scoreless through the first two innings, with the only action happening on SCC’s side of the second inning, with Dennis Gregory and Brevin Matthews both picking up two-out hits for Scottsdale, but Braedan Reichert was unable to bring the runner’s home.
CGCC’s Zach Perry picked up the first hit for the team to lead off the third, but Hanson was still able to work through the Coyote lineup, and even struck out Blake Gregory looking, for the third out.
The bottom of the third was closed out the same way for Arlich, striking out Luke Calendo looking, for the third out.
In the fourth inning, SCC threatened to score with runners on the corners and one out, to set up Dennis Gregory, who already had a hit in the second inning.
Dennis Gregory struck out, but the next batter, Matthews, battled from an 0-2 count and then roped a single over the shortstop, scoring the first two runs of the game.
With two outs, the Coyotes rallied back in the fifth after back-to-back hits from Zeke Borel, and then a RBI single from Grant Goodman to make it a one-run game.
CGCC continued to work in the inning after Blake Gregory worked a walk.
Hanson escaped the jam, though, striking out Lovering and limiting the damage to just one run allowed.
The sixth inning started strongly for the Coyotes, with Jeremy Kuiper smoking a ball off the left-center wall, and a friendly bounce gave him enough time to leg out the leadoff triple.
Then CGCC’s Cam Fleck tied the game at 2-2 with a sacrifice fly to shallow right; SCC RF Dylan Frank made the catch, but then CF Carson Feddema collided with Frank, allowing Kuiper to come home easily.
Hanson finished out the sixth inning, only allowing the one run.
His final stat line: 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, and 6 SO.
SCC turned to Andrew Filimoehala (6-5, 6.17 ERA, 65.2 IP) in relief for the seventh inning.
Filimoehala retired the first two batters, but the next hitter, Ben Lovering, battled in an intense at-bat with two outs.
Lovering swung and missed on a heater for strike two—but then got every piece of the next pitch, sending the ball to left field to put CGCC up by 1.
SCC looked to answer with a leadoff blooper into center from Reichert and an opposite field single by Feddema, putting two runners on with no outs.
After retiring the next batter, Frank, on a lineout, CGCC turned to their second reliever, left-hander Bodie Ramsey. Watch the Northeast Valley News post-game interview with Ramsey.
Ramsey retired Calendo next, putting SCC’s third baseman Braiden Reynolds in a huge at-bat.
Reynolds extended the at-bat as long as he could before grounding out to the third baseman.
CGCC’s Ramsey continued to work through SCC’s lineup, even into the ninth inning for the Artichokes’ last call.
He shut the door on the Artichokes, retiring 8 of the 9 batters he faced in relief, even striking out two batters in the ninth.
Check out Northeast Valley News’ postgame interview with Coyotes’ Bodie Ramsey here.
CGCC took game one of this best-of-three series in a close 3-2 win.
Scottsdale will host game two against Chandler-Gilbert on Friday.
