HENDERSON, Nev. — March 6, 2026 — The College of Southern Nevada Coyotes used timely hitting and strong pitching to defeat Cochise College, 7–2, Friday afternoon in the opening game of a three-game ACCAC series at Lied Field | Morse Stadium.
The win improved the Coyotes to 19–3 overall and 4–0 in conference play.
CSN struck first in the bottom of the opening inning. Alex Rhynes reached on a fielding error and quickly moved into scoring position before Harvey Smerdon singled up the middle to drive in the game's first run. Later in the inning, Jake Gorrell delivered an RBI single to left field to plate Brandon Swanson, giving the Coyotes an early 2–0 advantage.
Cochise answered in the third inning when Shiryu Sato doubled to left field, scoring two runs to tie the game at 2–2.
The Coyotes regained the lead in the fourth. Carson Anderson doubled to open the inning and advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt by Rhynes. Smerdon followed with a sacrifice fly to left field to bring Anderson home, and Evan Festa later scored when Swanson singled to center, pushing the lead to 4–2.
CSN added insurance runs in the sixth inning. Rhynes worked a leadoff walk and Festa followed with another free pass. Swanson drove in a run with a single up the middle before Gorrell delivered a two-run single through the left side, extending the Coyotes' lead to 7–2.
Gorrell led the Coyotes offensively, finishing 3-for-4 with three RBIs, while Swanson went 2-for-2 with two RBIs and two walks. Rhynes scored twice and stole two bases, and Smerdon added two RBIs as CSN totaled 10 hits in the game.
On the mound, James Bradford earned the win to improve to 3–0, allowing two runs on five hits over five innings while striking out five. Benjamin Schroeder worked a scoreless sixth inning, and Andrew Kaplan closed the game with a perfect seventh, striking out two.
The Coyotes and Cochise will continue the three-game series later Friday with the second game of the doubleheader. The series finale is scheduled for Saturday at 12:00 p.m. at Morse Stadium. Full schedule and coverage information can be found at www.csncoyotes.com
