MESA, Ariz. – Four games in three days didn't faze the Yavapai College baseball team as it headed south on Saturday afternoon and swept the Mesa Community College Thunderbirds with scores of 8-1 and 9-7, respectively. 

"We played a complete ballgame in game one," Head Coach Patrick Woods said after the sweep. "Hargett had complete command and we executed offensively. In game two, we played as a family and picked our brothers up all day. They showed their resilience and toughness all day and when something didn't go right, they just continued to keep getting after it."

For the Roughriders, it's their fifth road sweep of conference competition this season and their eighth win in their last nine games. Overall, the squad sits at 16-11 with a conference record of 11-7. 

Game One
The Roughriders controlled the first game of the afternoon and it started with a two-out RBI double in the first from sophomore infielder Ethan Thomas. In the second, sophomore outfielder Blake Jacklin singled in a run and YC scored another on an error and led 3-0 heading to the third. 

After a couple of zeros, the offense put the contest away in the top of the fifth with a four-spot that started with a three-run homer off the bat of freshman catcher Wailele Kane-Yates, his second homer of the season. Later in the inning, sophomore outfielder Jude Hall doubled and scored on an RBI single from sophomore infielder Mitch Wood to bring the score to 7-0. 

In the top of the sixth, Kane-Yates singled in a run to make it 8-0, however, the Thunderbirds got that run back in the bottom of the sixth to bring the game to its final of 8-1 after both teams went scoreless in the seventh inning. 

On the mound, sophomore righty Hunter Hargett earned his third win of the season with five innings pitched and just one run allowed, three hits allowed and five strikeouts. 

Freshman righty Kaden Schiefelbein and sophomore righty Tommy Groom each pitched a scoreless inning in relief of Hargett. 

At the plate, Kane-Yates and freshman infielder Pierce Radke each had two hits while Jacklin, Thomas, Hall, Wood and freshman outfielder Nolan Sparks each had one. 

Game Two
The Roughriders tallied 17 hits in the second game of the day and they needed every single one of them as they and the Thunderbirds went back-and-forth all game long. 

In the top of the first, freshman infielder Niko Rosell singled in a pair of runs with two outs, however, Mesa countered with four in the bottom of the first and led 4-2. 

In the top of the second, Sparks walked with the bases loaded, Kane-Yates brought a run home with a sacrifice fly and the Roughriders scored on an error from MCC to take their lead back with a 5-4 score. 

The Thunderbirds, however, were relentless and scored a pair of runs in the bottom of the third to take a 6-5 lead and keep the seesaw battle going. 

In the sixth, the Roughriders began their second comeback of the game as an RBI single from Sparks brought the score to six all. 

One inning later, Radke singled in a run and Sparks singled another in for an 8-6 lead, however, the Thunderbirds cut that lead in half with a run of their own in the bottom of the seventh to bring the score to 8-7. 

In the top of the eighth, Thomas launched a solo homer, his third of the season, to get that run back and bring the score to 9-7 in favor of the Roughriders. 

Six outs away from victory, sophomore righty Zach Hose pitched a couple of scoreless innings to hammer down his third save of the season and clinch the 9-7 victory and sweep. 

Out of the pen, sophomore righty Jackson Lapiner pitched an impressive six innings of relief to get the ball to Hose. 

At the plate, Sparks led the way with four hits while Jacklin, Hall, Radke and sophomore utility man Barrett Skaugrud each had two. Kane-Yates, Thomas, Rosell, Wood and freshman catcher Avery Isola each had one. 

Up Next
The Roughriders are back in action on Tuesday, March 28, at home where they will host the No. 17-ranked Glendale Community College Gauchos with game one set for a noon start.