Plasschaert’s Grand Slam Powers Pima to Victory While Roberts Delivers 5-Inning Shutout Against Colorado Northwestern CC

The Pima Community College baseball team improved its record to 8-0 after a commanding start to a four-game series with Colorado Northwestern Community College on Friday, held at the West Campus Aztec Baseball Field.

Freshman Zach Plasschaert showcased his skills, contributing significantly with two hits in six at-bats, racking up five RBIs and scoring once. Leon Cereceres also shined at the plate, collecting four hits in eight attempts, driving in one run and scoring four times from the leadoff position. Fellow players Collin Senior and Sean Barta both hit well, each securing four hits and multiple RBIs during the day, as LRoberts and Tsubasa Tomii emerged as effective pitchers.

The first game concluded with the Aztecs defeating the Spartans 10-0 in just five innings. Plasschaert blasted a grand slam during a decisive six-run third inning, while Roberts delivered an impressive five-inning shutout, allowing just four hits and notching seven strikeouts.

The action began with the Aztecs taking a 2-0 lead in the third before loading the bases. Plasschaert then stepped up, hitting a full-count pitch deep into right field for a grand slam, which brought in Senior, Nolan Ganter, and Barta. Cereceres later added to the score with an RBI single. After Barta’s lead-off triple in the fourth, the inning was capped off with a run-scoring single from Max Leyva, followed by Matt MacDonald’s walk-off double to seal the game.

In game two, the Aztecs edged out the Spartans 5-4 for a thrilling finish. Senior hit a game-winning triple in the seventh inning, scoring MacDonald, who had initiated the inning with a single.

Pima took an early lead thanks to MacDonald’s double and additional runs driven in by Barta and Plasschaert. However, the Spartans fought back, capitalizing on Pima’s errors to tie the game in the fifth. Despite this, MacDonald’s performance, along with Senior and Glueck’s contributions, sealed the victory for Pima. Tomii earned the win on the mound, pitching two solid innings to secure the triumph.

The Aztecs will continue their series with a doubleheader on Saturday, scheduled for noon and 2:30 p.m. at the West Campus Aztec Field.