Firing on all six cylinders Coach?

"Yeah" said head coach Anthony Gilich after the Central Arizona College baseball team scored 33 runs and threw a couple of two-hitters over the weekend.

The weekend started at home on Friday with a 14-4 rout of Arizona Christian College in which Jake Vander Wal homered, doubled and drove in six runs, Liam Spence and Brennan Reback each scored three times, and on the hill, Grady Miller and Luis Tellechea struck out ten batters. 

The Geckos from Gateway Community College totaled only four hits in both games of the doubleheader Saturday (one a bunt), as Central won both, 5-0 and 14-4. In game one, Nick Trogerlic-Iverson gave up his first two hits of the year in his second start but that was it in five innings, and Jordan Suarez finished up the final scoreless two in the shutout.

"I just wish these weren't seven inning games" said the head coach. "I want to get my pitchers in there." Doubleheaders in the ACCAC are all seven innings.

Iverson has his opponents hitting .071 against him so far and is striking out around 13 batters a game. He's getting looks from people if you know what I mean. Jordan Suarez is striking out batters at 12.0 a clip and both pitchers have yet to give up an earned run. Vander Wal homered for the second straight game.

"We had a LOT of extra base hits" Gilich said. Alix Garcia doubled and Reback tripled. In it's 7-0 start, Central already has 11 triples.

NATIONAL NCJAA BATTING STATISTICS

And when the coach talks about a lot of extra base hits, how about leading the country in that category. Yes how about it.

In game two, Jason Nelson had another very nice outing striking out six batters in 3.2. In relief, Jacob Hilton and Joe Standley gave up just one hit as Central won 14-4. 

"Well, I've only seen that happen maybe five times in my years here" said Anthony Gilich.

Alix Garcia hit one into the lone palm tree in dead centerfield with bases loaded. There's just not an adjective that fits for how that baseball was hit. Central ripped four triples (Armando Aguilar , Schwartz, Ernny Ordonez , Brett Harris) and Vander Wal doubled. Armando Aguilar and Schwartz both came in late and went 4-4 collectively.

"I love it when I bring in guys off the bench and they rip the ball."

Central also stole four bases and hit three SAC flies in the second game.

Central is the recipient of a forfeit win in Sunday's game at Glendale. The team was (yes the entire team) was suspended for two games following an incident last week against Ottawa College, so Central heads into week two play at 8-0. Although Central gets credit for the win, the game will still be made up on Tuesday in Glendale at 2:00PM.