YUMA, Ariz. -- The Arizona Western College baseball team (1-1) opened the 2026 regular season by splitting a non-conference doubleheader with South Mountain Community College on Tuesday at Walt Kammann Baseball Field, dropping game one 5-0 before bouncing back to claim game two 10-7.

South Mountain wasted little time taking command in the opener, plating three runs with two outs in the first inning on a string of RBI singles. The Cougars added two more runs in the second inning, capitalizing on back-to-back hits and a well-timed steal to push the lead to 5-0.

The Matadors threatened in the bottom of the second, loading the bases with walks and a single, but came up empty. Despite drawing five walks and tallying five hits, Arizona Western left nine runners on base and could not break through against a pitching staff that induced the Matadors into rally killing double plays. 

In game two, Arizona Western responded with an offensive eruption, jumping out to a 4-0 lead in the first inning. The Matadors took advantage of three walks, a hit batter, and an RBI single from Jamie Beerman to set the tone early.

After South Mountain rallied to tie the game on multiple occasions, Gerardo Castro delivered a decisive blow in the fourth, launching a two-run home run to reclaim the lead. Castro finished a perfect 3-for-3 with three RBIs, two runs scored and a walk, powering a Matador lineup that drew nine walks and scored twice on passed balls.

Ten Shindo contributed two hits, two runs and an RBI, while the offense continued to pressure the Cougars by capitalizing on errors and free bases. The seesaw battle saw the Matadors pull ahead for good in the fifth inning, thanks to Shindo reaching on an error and Castro adding an RBI single.

On the mound, Filip Kollmann closed out the contest with two scoreless innings, allowing just one hit and striking out one to secure the Matadors' first win of the season and the first or new head coach Jon Wente.

"It was a tough one but we found a way to get the first one under our belt," Wente said. "I have a lot of respect for South and Coach Eastin, he and I were actually college teammates, and we've competed against each other a lot. So, I know how good a program he runs and how disciplined they are."

Wente says he is happy with the split against the #6 ranked team in DII but he's proud of the way his players fought. 

"Once we got up in that second game, they came back, then we went ahead again and it was back and forth," Wente said. "I'm proud we just kept fighting and battling and came out on top."

The Matadors used a total of nine pitches in the two games and Wente says he was hoping to use more.

"We have a big weekend coming up with a lot of games," Wente said. "It's early in the season and we have to get guys out there. We didn't pitch Diego Alcala because we want him fresh to go Friday night. Some others will have to bounce back and pitch this weekend. It was more to get their feet underneath them, but the games were close and we kind of went with the hot hand and stuck with some guys. I'm proud of the way we played. We made some mistakes, I made some mistakes, now we have the juices flowing and can move forward from here.

UP NEXT

The Matadors will travel to Southern Nevada for four games at neutral sites. The first is Friday night against the defending NJCAA DI Champions, Salt Lake Community College. First pitch is scheduled for 5:00 pm MST.