Thunderbirds use Strong Start to Silence the Coyotes, 10-3

Mesa, AZ—In the hopes of improving upon their seven game winning streak, the Mesa Community College baseball team (22-2, 13-1 ACCAC) used six runs in the third inning to jump start their offense in a 10-3 Arizona Community College Athletic Conference win over the Chandler-Gilbert Community College Coyotes (9-17, 3-12 ACCAC) on Tuesday afternoon in Mesa.  

Using nine hits to plate 10 runs, Mesa finished with three different players recording multi-hit games, including an impressive day from sophomore Mitchell Morimoto who ended the game with three hits, two runs scored, two runs batted in and a home run over the left field wall in the fourth inning.  

After both teams went scoreless during the first two innings of play, the Thunderbirds struck first in the third inning when sophomore Jacob Boston stroked a single to center off of Chandler-Gilbert's sophomore Hudson Lambert, scoring freshman Estaban Martinez from third.  

Two batters later, freshman Matt Ayala added to the Mesa lead when he ripped a single to centerfield and scored both Morimoto and Boston, giving the Thunderbirds a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the third.  

The hot bats continued for Mesa when sophomore Mike Roberson crushed a bases-clearing double out to the warning track in left to plate three more runs and give Mesa a 6-0 lead after three innings of play.  

While the bats were alive for the Thunderbirds, the phenomenal starting pitching from sophomore Matt Mosca kept the lead intact. Over six innings of work, Mosca allowed only four hits, two walks and struck out a total of nine batters. With the win, Mosca moves to 4-0 on the season and has now recorded 40 strikeouts over more than 32 innings of work.  

With their eight game win streak on the line, the Thunderbirds will now travel to Chandler-Gilbert Community College this Wednesday afternoon for a rematch with the Coyotes and a scheduled first pitch at 3:00 p.m. MST.