RIVERSIDE, Calif. – The battle of two nationally ranked teams continued on Friday as No. 4 Colorado Mesa took on No. 6 Cal Baptist at Totman Field. The two teams split this afternoon's doubleheader.
 
The Lancers took game one 8-7 on Luke Navigato's walk-off RBI single to center field. Cal Baptist trailed 7-6 entering the ninth but scored twice to pick up the win.
 
Colorado Mesa (8-3) built a 5-1 lead after five innings of play but Cal Baptist responded with four runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to tie the game at 5-5.
 
The Mavericks grabbed the lead in the eighth inning scoring two runs but couldn't maintain that lead as the Lancers answered with a run in the bottom half of the inning.
 
Taylor Prokopis took the loss on the mound allowing two runs on two hits and walked one in just a third of an inning of work.
 
Senior shortstop Zach McLeod finished the game 2-for-3 with four RBIs and a run scored. The SoCal native had a bases clearing double in the fifth inning.
 
Garrett Ball and Josh Shapiro each had two hits for Colorado Mesa.
 
In the nightcap, Tanner Herdt pitched 7.1 innings of relief to help Colorado Mesa to a 5-1 win over Cal Baptist.
 
Herdt (1-0) allowed just one run on five hits, walked three and struck out five to earn his first victory since 2016. The senior was on in relief of starter JR McDermott who threw 30 pitches in just one inning of work.
 
Colorado Mesa scored four runs in the first inning and added one in the eighth while surrendering the lone run to the Lancers in the bottom of the ninth.
 
McLeod had a two-run single up the middle to start the Maverick scoring with Tanner Rempel following with a two-run double in the first inning. The two combined for four of the Mavericks seven hits.
 
The two teams will conclude the series with a single-game beginning at 1pm tomorrow.