The Pima Community College softball team (47-8) is heading back to the NJCAA Division II National Tournament.
The No. 1 seeded Aztecs defeated No. 2 South Mountain Community College 1-0 in the final game to win their third consecutive Region I, Championship; Division I in 2024 and Division II in 2025 and 2026. The afternoon game took place after the Cougars beat the Aztecs earlier in the day 9-1 in six innings to force the final showdown.
Game 7: (1) Pima CC Aztecs 1, (2) South Mountain CC Cougars 0: Freshman Izabel Rodriguez (Sahuarita HS) was clutch as she hit an RBI single to right field on the first pitch to drive in fellow freshman Soleil Ponce (Sunnyside HS). Ponce hit a lead-off single and was moved over to second base on freshman Isabel Mendoza’s (Cienega HS) sacrifice-bunt.
It proved to be enough as freshman Adriana Machado (Canyon del Oro HS) pitched her second complete-game shutout of the Region I Playoffs. She threw seven innings, giving up five hits with three strikeouts and one walk on 88 pitches. She was named the Region I, Division II Tournament’s Most Valuable Player.
“I made a comment to my team before we went out and I said ‘I will do my job if you guys do your job,’” Machado said. “My changeup and my curveball were really working for me today. I had the chills coming in, but I knew my team was going to be behind me throughout it all.”
Rodriguez finished the game 2-for-4 with an RBI while Ponce closed it out, going 2-for-3 with a run scored. Sophomore Amerika Lopez-Bedoy (Sunnyside HS) went 1-for-2 and Jiselle Nunez (Tucson Magnet HS) finished with three walks.
“Sky’s the limit for this team. We’re a bunch of fighters and we fight for one another,” Lopez-Bedoy said. “I love Pima so much; the tradition, the coaches, the girls, the girls that they recruit. I love every single thing about Pima. It’s awesome and we deserve this.
“After that first game, it wasn’t us, and everyone took that 30-minute break. ‘Be by yourselves, let it all go and wash it out. Let’s show them how we’re supposed to play and how we do play around here at Pima.’”
Game 6: (2) South Mountain CC 9, (1) Pima CC Aztecs 1 (F/6): The Cougars avoided elimination and forced a final game for the Region championship after they run ruled the Aztecs.
South Mountain scored the first run of the game in the 1st inning and took control with six runs in the 5th inning and two runs in the 6th.
Freshman Kayla Hendrix (Canyon del Oro HS) hit an RBI single to score Ponce in the 6th inning as the Aztecs were held to five hits for the game.
Hendrix went 1-for-3 with an RBI and Ponce was 2-for-3 with a run scored. Mendoza and sophomore Julissa Lopez (Tucson Magnet HS) each went 1-for-3.
Sophomore Sariah Ferrentino (Sabino HS) took the loss as she pitched four innings, giving up four runs (four earned) on three hits with two strikeouts and four walks on 78 pitches.
The Aztecs will compete at the NJCAA Division II National Tournament on May 19-24 held at the Tyger River Park in Spartanburg, South Carolina. The bracket reveal is TBA.
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