The Scottsdale Community College Fighting Artichokes (31-24 overall, 23-17 conference) played against the Chandler-Gilbert Community College Coyotes (31-26 overall, 21-19 conference) in game two of the Region I NJCAA Tournament.
CGCC led the best-of-3 series 1-0, after winning a close one on Thursday.
SCC needed to win back-to-back games Friday and Saturday to advance to the Region I championship.
On the mound starting for the Artichokes was one of their best pitchers, Braden Burness (4-6, 4.81 ERA, 63.2 IP, 93 SO).
Burness had some strong outings against Mesa Community College and Paradise Valley Community College, showing off a high number of strikeouts in both games.
If SCC needed a starter on the mound for a pivotal game, Burness was it—and Friday was the pivotal game.
Immediately, CGCC’s dugout was hyped as their leadoff hitter, Blake Gregory, worked a walk in an at-bat of over 10 pitches.
Burness quickly quieted the Coyote dugout, though, with back-to-back strikeouts.
A similar story in the bottom of the first, a leadoff walk for SCC, but then CGCC’s starter Carter Boone (9-7, 3.68 ERA, 63.2 IP) comes back with back–to-back strikeouts to end the inning.
The Coyotes struck first off an RBI triple from Zach Perry; a hit to the opposite field, and SCC right fielder Dylan Frank tried to make the diving catch but could not make it. Perry’s hit drove in Cam Fleck from first.
Boone continued his heater on the mound with two more strikeouts to begin the second inning, before giving up SCC’s first of the game to Will Salihar.
CGCC tacked on another run in the top of the third, thanks to a line drive into left field by Ben Lovering, scoring Gregory to make it 2-0 Coyotes.
Then, the Coyotes looked to blow the game open as Jeremy Kuiper worked a walk, putting on a second runner for Adolfo Pacheco with one out.
Despite the traffic, Burness kept it under control and only yielded the one run in the third.
In the fourth inning, CGCC continued to create trouble at the plate, working two walks and a hit.
Burness left the inning with a 0, but the extended at-bats by the Coyotes made it his last inning.
A breath of life for the Artichokes as Frank led off the fourth inning with a base hit.
SCC looked primed to put up a crooked number on Boone, putting on another runner with no outs, but the Artichokes came up empty—the frustration offensively and defensively continued.
After Burness exited the game, SCC turned to Logan Spetz in the bullpen.
Unfortunately, the fifth inning was not the Artichoke’s inning—CGCC exploded for eight runs.
SCC’s pitching staff struggled to get strikes; as a group, they gave up six walks to CGCC, and walked three runs in with the bases loaded.
With the score 10-0, the bottom of the fifth became a must-score inning to avoid mercy rule.
The Artichokes battled back, loading the bases, and Frank delivered a grounder up the middle to score SCC’s first two runs.
SCC’s Luke Calendo was able to tack on one more run with a sacrifice fly to deep left field—it was 10-3 Coyotes.
The Artichokes gave themselves some breathing room up until the seventh inning.
Once again, the Coyotes stayed disciplined at the plate to get runners on base, and then a pinch-hitter, Rocco Muccilli, came through with an RBI single.
It was 11-3 CGCC—the Artichokes were now in mercy rule territory again.
The Coyotes continued to roll with Tanner Leyba from the bullpen, who closed out with a scoreless seventh inning.
CGCC took game two against SCC—the Coyotes were moving on to the NJCAA Region I championship.
As for SCC, it was a deflating ending, but it did not take away from the special season for the team.
SCC head coach Ty Gavin told Northeast Valley News this regarding the team’s play this year:
“I’m fortunate to be surrounded by such a good group. I mean, every year you’re playing ball, you’re making friends, but how close they were this year was something different. It’s a special group, the sophomores—they will be missed.”
Looking to next season, Gavin sounded optimistic, “There’s a bunch of freshmen coming back who got a taste of the playoffs, and should be hungry to take the program the next step forward.”
