GRAND JUNCTION, Colo.— Now college graduate and senior catcher Zoe Pakes recorded an RBI hit in each of her three at bats and blasted one of the Mavericks' three home runs as the top-seeded Colorado Mesa University softball team opened the NCAA Division II Tournament with a convincing 10-2, 6-inning mercy-rule win over eighth-seeded Rogers State University on Thursday evening in front of packed crowd at the CMU Softball Stadium.
 
Hosting a regional for the first time in 18 years (2000), the Mavericks recorded 12 hits, including five for extra bases, and improved to 48-3 overall while moving on in the winner's bracket.  CMU, ranked third in the latest NFCA Division II Coaches' Poll, will face No. 13 Texas A&M-Commerce (38-9) for the second time this season in Game 3 of the tournament at noon on Friday.  The winner advances directly to Saturday's championship game.
 
The Lions, who went down 14-6 to the Mavericks back on the opening weekend of the season on Feb. 3 in Rio Rancho, N.M., defeated No. 17 Tarleton State (47-10) in an all-Lone Star Conference clash in the regional's opening game earlier Thursday by a 15-8 score.  In that game, the Lions put up eight runs in the first and seven more in the bottom half of the sixth after No. 17 Tarleton State had clawed back to tie the game at 8 in the top of the fifth.
 
Rogers State, playing in their first ever NCAA Division II Tournament after winning the Heartland Conference Tournament on Sunday, fell to 39-19 with the loss to the Mavericks.  The Hillcats will face Tarleton in an elimination game at 2:30 p.m.  The winner of that will play the loser of Game 3 in another elimination game, slated for 5 p.m. Friday.
 
In between Thursday's games, a multi-team graduation ceremony was held on the field, led by CMU President Tim Foster.  All four of the competing institutions will hold their respective graduation ceremonies this weekend.  As such, the seven graduating student-athletes will likely not be able to attend, due to their participation in the regional, so CMU officials organized Thursday evening's event.
 
Pakes and Maverick lead-off hitter Maggie Manwarren, who went for 2-for-3 with two stolen bases in the victory over the HIllcats, were the two CMU representative in the ceremony and received their diplomas dressed in cap and gown before taking those off and getting to the business at hand.
 
After stranding one in the bottom of the first, the Mavericks took a 1-0 lead in the second as Kellie Mrofcza hit a 1-out double before Pakes delivered her from third just two plays later.  Pakes then hit a 2-out homer in the bottom of the fourth, her 11^th of the season, to double the Mavericks lead to 2-0.
 
However, the HIllcats answered right back through the bat of freshman Rylee DeLozier, who hit a home run of her own in the top of the fifth.
 
The Mavericks, who have now won 24 games via the mercy-rule this year, would be unfazed and scored five times in the bottom of the fifth thanks to four hits and a Hillcat error.  Manwarren started the rally with an infield single and then stole second before moving to third on an Alexandria Dufour single.  Brooke Hodgson then hit an RBI single before another hit from AnnMarie Torres, a walk by Kaila Jacobi and the Hillcat error opened the floodgates.
 
The Mavericks scored two runs on the error and added another on a Pakes single.  They then scored their fifth run of the inning and seventh of the game on a Hailey Hinson RBI fielder's choice.
 
Trailing 7-1 at that point, the HIllcats would get a sixth-inning homer from Merissa Smith but gave up two bombs in the bottom of the sixth.  Hodgson hit her Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference-leading 17^th, a 2-run shot, before Mrofcza capped the win with a 2-out walk-off homer, her fourth of the campaign.
 
The junior shortstop was one of five Mavericks to record multiple hits in the game as she went 2-for-4 with three runs scored and two RBIs.  Dufour was 2-for-3 with a sacrifice, a double and a run scored while Hodgson went 2-for-4 with two runs scored and three RBIs.  Hodgson has now driven in 103 runs on the season, just seven shy of the NCAA Division II single-season record of 110, set by Wisconsin-Parkside's Jackie Aiken in 1995.
 
The Mavericks' offensive firepower overshadowed another fine pitching performance from CMU junior hurler Kimbri Herring.  She spread five hits and the two runs while striking out five to earn the victory.  Herring, who was named as the RMAC Tournament MVP last weekend after going 4-0 with two shutouts, including a no-hitter, is now 22-1 on the year.
 
Andrea Morales (15-8) suffered the loss for the HIllcats after going 4 1/3 innings while giving up nine hits and seven runs, six of which were earned.  She also walked two Mavericks and struck out just one.