Colorado Mesa softball beat Fort Lewis College 9-2 in the opening round of the RMAC Softball Championships in Lakewood. CMU seeded number 2 in the eight-team field defeated No. 7 seed Skyhawks to advance to the semi-finals in the double elimination tournament.

CMU took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the second that started with a lead-off single by Megan Brown. Rachel Boothe's double to left field put runners at second and third. Lisa Pille' RBI ground out gave CMU the first run of the game. Two batters later Taylor Gross' triple to left field scored Boothe for a 2-0 lead.

Fort Lewis tied the game in the top of the third scoring two runs on three hits. Three consecutive hits, two singles and a triple tied the game the game at 2-2.

The Mavericks broke the 2-2 tie in the fourth scoring three runs (one earned) on three hits. Lisa Pille led off with a single and scored on Nicole Robinson's double down the left field line. Tawnee Woosley reached on an error by the first baseman and eventually scored on a wild pitch. Robinson scored on a single up the middle by Megan Smith and the Mavericks led 5-2 after four innings.

CMU put the game out of reach scoring four runs in the sixth inning. Jessica Severinsen's single scored Robinson (hit by pitch). A sac fly by pinch hitter Brooke Ortale scored Severinsen. With two outs Boothe hit a two-run homerun to right center to give CMU a 9-2 lead.

CMU had nine runs on 12 hits and two errors in the game. The Skyhawks scored two runs on seven hits and committed one error.

Starting pitcher Jessica Severinsen picked up the victory going 4.0 innings allowing two runs on seven hits. Ashley Pulido pitched the final 3.0 innings giving up two runs on two hits. The duo combined for five strikeouts.

CMU advances to play UC-Colorado Springs on Saturday at 10 am at Lakewood Park. The Mountain Lions beat Colorado Christian 4-3 in eight innings earlier in the day.