LA JOLLA, Calif. – The No. 4 Colorado Mesa baseball team opened its season in California on Friday afternoon with a doubleheader against No. 7 UC San Diego and Concordia-Irvine at Triton Ballpark. The Mavericks split the two games, defeating UC-San Diego 11-1 and falling to Concordia-Irvine 6-4.
 
Against the Tritons, Keenan Eaton went 4-for-4 with a double, a home run and two runs scored to lead the Mavericks hit parade. Eaton and the Mavericks finished with 16 hits in the opener including three extra base hits.
 
Eaton hit his home run to left field and extended the Maverick lead to 6-0 at the time. Two batters later, teammate Tyler Sandoval homered down the left field line to give CMU a commanding 8-0 lead.
 
Colorado Mesa would add three more runs in the top half of the ninth while surrendering the lone run in the bottom half of the eighth.
 
JJ Carr and Reagan Todd each had three hits.
 
Junior ace Kyle Leahy picked up where he left off in 2017, pitching five innings of shutout baseball to earn his first win of 2018. He didn't allow a hit until All-West Region first baseman Tyler Durna singled up the middle to lead off the fourth inning. The Boulder native allowed just two hits, walked two and struck out three.
 
Jake Mielock and Nick Cardinal pitched the final four innings and allowed just two hits, five walks and seven strikeouts combined.
 
The win was the fifth season opening win in a row for the Mavericks.
 
In the nightcap, errors plagued the Mavs as they dropped a 6-4 decision to Concordia-Irvine. The Eagles scored two unearned runs as the Mavericks made three errors in the game.
 
Eaton continued to swing a hot bat as he went 3-for-4 with three runs driven in against the Eagles.
 
Nick Borowski played his first game since the 2016 season and finished with a pair of hits.
 
JR McDermott took the loss on the mound. He allowed five runs (three earned) on five hits, walked two and struck out seven in three and a third innings of work.
 
Newcomer Reagan Todd pitched the final 4.2 innings and allowed one run on two hits, walked one and struck out six.
 
The Mavericks will be back in action tomorrow with a single game against Concordia Irvine at Triton Ballpark.