PHOENIX – The Yavapai College baseball team headed south on Saturday afternoon for a conference doubleheader in the valley against the No. 11-ranked Phoenix College Bears and, after some late-inning heroics, is headed back to Prescott with a sweep, defeating the Bears 5-2 and 11-8, respectively.

"We never ever give in," Head Coach Patrick Woods said after the victories. "We just continue to compete and constantly pick each other up!"

The pair of wins pushed YC's overall record to 10-10 on the season and conference record to 7-7. 

Game One
The Roughriders started the first ballgame of the day with a two-out rally as freshman catcher Wailele Kane-Yates smoked a double to left with two gone and scored on sophomore infielder Ethan Thomas's bloop single to center to give YC a quick 1-0 lead. 

In the top of the second, Yavapai kept the offensive pressure on the Bears with a leadoff walk and stolen base from sophomore outfielder Jude Hall. Later in the inning, with one out, Hall came around to score on an RBI single from freshman infielder Quinn Allen. 

After a Phoenix error, the Roughriders found themselves with two runners on and one out and sophomore outfielder Blake Jacklin coming to the plate. Jacklin promptly delivered a double into right field that scored two runs and gave YC a commanding 4-0 lead early in the ballgame. 

The quick offensive outburst was all the motivation sophomore righty Barrett Skaugrud needed to get on the mound and pump strikes. The sophomore got the start and win for YC and navigated a Bears lineup that often had pressure on the basepaths. His final stat line read six innings of two-run ball while scattering eight hits and three walks. 

Skaugrud was not alone, however, as the YC defense came through with some clutch plays to put the brakes on several Bears scoring chances. 

In the bottom of the first, with two Phoenix runners on base, Skaugrud helped himself with a nice pickoff move to second base to secure the third out and end the threat. Two innings later in the bottom of the third, Kane-Yates erased a two-out single from Phoenix with a caught stealing to end the frame.

One inning later, Kane-Yates was at it again as this time, Phoenix had runners on first and second with two outs and the freshman catcher backpicked the runner at first to end the potential threat. 

After a scoreless fifth and sixth for the Roughriders, Phoenix was able to cut the deficit to just 4-2 in the bottom of the sixth after scoring a run on a double steal with runners on first and third. 

Three outs away from victory, YC headed to the plate in the top of the seventh looking for some insurance and got just what it was looking for. With one out, Kane-Yates laced his second double of the day, setting up an RBI single off the bat of freshman infielder Niko Rosell later in the inning to give YC a 5-2 lead. 

In the bottom of the seventh, sophomore righty Zach Hose relieved Skaugrud and, despite a leadoff error and seeing-eye single, nailed down the save to secure the victory. 

Jacklin, Kane-Yates and Rosell all finished with two hits in the game while Thomas, Allen and freshman outfielder Nolan Sparks all had one. 

Game Two
The second ballgame of the day had all the makings of a pitcher's duel, until the later innings turned the score into a slugfest. 

Freshman righty Dillon Orr got the start on the bump for the Roughriders and was true to ace form. Orr tossed six innings and allowed three runs (only two of which were earned), four hits and four walks while striking out six. 

While Orr kept the score low, the Roughrider bats were forced to play comeback after the Bears tallied a pair of runs in the bottom of the third to take a 2-0 lead, their first of the day. 

Wasting no time, the Roughriders rallied in the top of the fourth as Rosell walked with two outs and was followed by a single from Hall to put runners on the corners with sophomore infielder Mitch Wood coming to the plate. After Hall stole second, Wood capped off the two-out rally with a two-run single to left to knot things up at 2-2.

The teams traded zeros in the fifth inning before the Bears took the lead once more with a run in the bottom of the sixth, however, Rosell and freshman catcher Avery Isola each threw runners out in the inning to limit the damage to just one run. 

Entering the seventh and faced with another deficit, the Roughriders, again, wasted no time and tied the game at 3-3. This time, Sparks doubled to the right-center gap, stole third and scored on an errant throw from the Phoenix catcher to bring game two back to even. 

After Sparks circled the bases, things started to get wild at Phoenix College and it all started in the bottom of the seventh. Tied 3-3, the Bears benefitted from four free passes and scored five runs in the inning (four coming with two outs) to take an 8-3 lead while standing just six outs away from victory. 

Needing a third comeback in the game, the Roughriders looked poised to do just that in the top of the eighth as Rosell and Hall singled to start the frame. Later in the inning and with one out on the scoreboard, game one's starter (and winner) Barrett Skaugrud stepped up to the plate and chopped a seeing-eye double down the left field line to drive in Rosell and cut the deficit to 8-4 with runners on second and third with one out. 

Unfortunately for the Roughriders, Phoenix was able to stop the rally in its tracks with a pair of strikeouts to send the game to the bottom of the eighth with YC still trailing 8-4. 

In the bottom of the eighth, the Bears looked to add on and sent a runner to third base with just one out, however, sophomore righty Thomas Bartels was able to tally a strikeout and induce a popup to keep the Roughrider deficit at four. 

The Bears were able to get the crucial first out in the top of the ninth, however, the Roughriders had one more rally left in them on Saturday afternoon and it was their biggest of the season. 

Thomas started things off by legging out an infield single and then moved to third base on a double off the bat of Rosell. The next batter, Hall, bunted to the right side of the infield for a hit and saw his speed impact the defense as the Bears threw the ball down the right field line, pushing two YC runs across the plate and placing Hall on second base. 

The next batter, Wood, walked and set the stage for the most dramatic moment of the doubleheader. With runners on first and second and one out, Skaugrud stepped up to the plate and rifled the first pitch he saw to the right field gap, scoring Hall and Wood to tie the game at 8-8 and sending the Roughrider dugout into a frenzy. 

After another free pass, Jacklin delivered the go-ahead RBI with a single to right field to bring in Skaugrud and give YC a 9-8 lead, its first of game two and its third comeback of game two. 

Later in the frame, the Roughriders received free passes to Thomas and Rosell with the bases loaded and finished the top of the ninth with seven runs scored and an 11-8 lead. 

Sophomore righty Hunter Hargett then took the mound in the bottom of the ninth and locked down the save, with a nifty play from Skaugrud to end it, to clinch the 11-8 win and Saturday sweep. 

Hall led the Roughriders in hits in game two with four while Thomas, Rosell and Skaugrud each had two. Jacklin, Wood and Sparks each finished with one. 

Up Next
The Roughriders are back on the diamond on Wednesday, March 15, at home against Scottsdale Post Grad with game one of the doubleheader set to start at noon.