By Matt Hickman/Sierra Vista Herald
DOUGLAS — The Cochise College baseball team ran its winning streak to nine games on Saturday, but it didn’t come easily for the Apaches against Mesa Community College.
Cochise was on top 2-0 after five innings in the first game, but after the Thunderbirds tied it at 2-2 in the top of the sixth, neither team scored until the top of the 11th, when the T-Birds struck for one.
The Apaches came up to bat and came up big. Stephan Desgagne singled and scored on a one-out double by Jason Parks, one of his five hits on the day. Then, nine-hole hitter Frank Salas, leadoff man Nate Hale and Tagg Duce all walked to force in the winning run in a 4-3, 11-inning win.
Kevin Dorantes got the win for Cochise, going the final 5 1/3 in relief of Salas. At the plate, Parks had three hits to go with two doubles and an RBI. Austin Nelson had two doubles and an RBI and Jake Luna had two hits and a run.
Mesa had little resistance left for the second game, won by Cochise 18-3. Jacob Potts went four innings for the win and Salas, Desgagne and Parks had two hits apiece with Salas and Desgagne getting four RBIs each.
Cochise’s sweep ran its record to 31-9 overall and 17-5 in the Arizona Community College Athletic Conference.
“There’s four weeks left and they’re all big,” Cochise head coach Todd Inglehart said. “They’re trying to get into the playoffs and we’ve got Yavapai on Saturday. They’re all huge now, and this is kind of fun for the guys — we’re figuring out ways to win.”