Dream pitching; baseball sweeps Eastern Arizona, 1-0, 6-1

  MESA, AZ - It was the kind of doubleheader pitching line coaches dream of - 16 total innings, nine hits allowed, one unearned run, 14 strikeouts and two walks.

  That's what Mesa head coach Tony Cirelli can dream about tonight after masterful performances by Tyler Carvalho (So., Lancaster, Calif/Paraclete H.S.) and Matt Mosca (Fr., Las Vegas, Nev/Cimmaron-Memorial H.S.) led to a doubleheader sweep of Division I Eastern Arizona, 1-0 and 6-1.

  The wins leave MCC with a 25-5 overall record and 16-4 ACCAC mark. EAC is now 13-15 and 3-11.

  It began with a now almost-expected gem from Carvalho. 

  The T-Birds staked him to a 1-0 lead in the first and that was all he needed. With two out Jordan Zimmerman (So., Mesa, AZ/Red Mountain H.S.) singled. Mitchell Morimoto (Fr., Issaquah, Wash/Issaquah H.S.) walked and Brady Bate (Fr., Spanish Fork, Utah/Spanish Fork H.S.) singled for the only run of the game.

  Meanwhile, Carvalho was carving up the Gila Monsters. Allowing only two runners to reach as far as second base, he struck out ten and walked none in a four-hit shutout. The win raises his record to 7-0 and lowers his ERA to an almost-impossible 0.19.

  Carvalho's performance was no real surprise. He was an all-American last year and has been rock-solid for Mesa this year.

  What followed next was an unexpected treat.

  Mosca went seven innings, allowing just one unearned run, three hits and struck out 14 while walking one.

  At one point he fanned seven straight and nine out of ten in a dominant performance.

  Garrett Bowman (So., Roy, Utah/Roy H.S.) finished things for the T-Birds, taking over in the eighth when MCC's lead was just 2-1 and earning his third save.

 The Thunderbirds edged in front with a run in the second after Bate was hit by a pitch and scored on a double by Jacob Boston (Fr., Chandler, AZ/Hamilton H.S.).

  After EAC tied it in the fourth on an unearned run, MCC regained the lead in the bottom of the inning when Bate singled and scored on a double by James Anderson (So., Henderson, Nev/Coronado H.S.).

  It remained tight until the eighth when Mesa erupted for four, including four hits and RBIs by Morimoto, Bate and Logan Etherington (Fr., Las Vegas, Nev/Faith Lutheran H.S.).

  The T-Birds will have Wednesday off. The scheduled game with the Arizona State University Club Team has been canceled.

  MCC will host Madison (Wisc.) Thursday at 3:00 p.m.