ST. GEORGE, Utah— The No. 21 Colorado Mesa University Softball team hit three home runs in a 9-1 Saturday morning mercy-rule win over Hawai'i Pacific University but suffered their first loss of the season by a 4-3 margin to Hawai'i-Hilo in extra innings later in the day as they wrapped up their opening weekend of the season at the Dixie State Courtyard Classic with a 4-1 record.
 
Hawai'I Pacific Game
 
In the opener, Alexa Samuels, Tayah Gerber and Kellie Mrofcza all went long while McKenzie Surface picked up her 71^st career win in relief of starter Kimbri Herring to move into second all-time in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference history.  The home runs from Samuels, a 2-run shot in the bottom of the second, and Gerber, a 3-run blast in the fourth, were the first of their respective collegiate careers.
Mrofcza's home run was a solo shot to begin the fifth allowing her to become the seventh different Maverick to hit a home run on the weekend.
 
The Mavericks also scored an unearned run in the third and tallied a second run of the fifth inning when Samuels singled to left to record her third RBI of the contest.  The Mavericks also scored an unearned run in bottom of the sixth and walked off with a mercy-rule victory.
 
Samuels went 2-for-3 with two runs scored while Hailey Hinson also went 2-for-3 with a run in the No. 9 hole as the Mavericks pounded out nine hits.  Meanwhile, four different Maverick pitchers combined to hold the Sharks, who fell to 4-6, to just four total hits.
 
Herring threw the opening 2 1/3 innings and checked out with a 2-1 lead before Surface threw 1 2/3 innings of no-hit ball as the Mavericks extended the lead to 6-1 through four innings on Gerber's homer.
 
Surface (1-0) then gave way to Shea Mauser, who gave up two walks and a hit by pitch in two-thirds of an inning before Paige Adair came on with the bases loaded to get Cieana Curry to foul out to end a potential Shark comeback in the top of the fifth.
 
Adair then gave up just one 2-out single in the sixth to earn the save as the Maverick bullpen gave up just one hit in 3 2/3 total innings.
 
Malia Torres (0-2) took the loss for the Sharks after giving up seven hits and seven runs, five of which were earned in four innings.
 
Hawai'i Hilo Game
 
Against the Vulcans (5-3), Adair got the start and retired nine straight after giving up a lead-off double in the bottom of the first. 
 
Meanwhile, the Maverick offense manufactured a second inning run when AnnMarie Torres drew a lead-off walk before moving to second on a Kaila Jacobi sacrifice.  She then scored two plays later on a Sarah Staudle RBI single.
 
The Mavericks could have increased their lead in the third but wasted a Hinson single to begin the inning and a 2-out Mrofcza double.
 
CMU would not make the same mistake in the top of the fourth as Jacobi singled to left to begin the inning before pinch runner Jordyn Hays moved to second on a Samuels sacrifice.  After Staudle moved Hays to third with her second hit of the game, Bailey Kleespies hit a sacrifice fly to plate Hays with the Mavs' second run.
 
Hilo would get that run back in similar fashion in the bottom half of the inning and tied the game at 2 in the bottom of the sixth with an unearned 2-out run which came on a Markie Okamoto RBI single.
 
The Mavericks would then leave two runners on in the top of the seventh as Hinson recorded a 1-out single up the middle before Lexie Comer hit an RBI double to move Hinson to third.  However, Vulcan hurler Isabelle Mejia got back-to-back groundouts to get out of the jam.
 
Adair would also get out of a 2-on, 2-out mess in the bottom of the seventh as the game went to extra innings.
 
With the international tie-breaker rule in place, Mrofcza was placed on second base to begin the top of the eighth and quickly moved to third on a Torres sacrifice.  She then scored moments later on a throwing error before the Vulcans got out a potential big-inning with a lineout double play in left field that doubled up Kaila Jacobi, who had walked and moved to second on the error.
 
Trailing 3-2, the Vulcans then quickly tied the game in the bottom of the inning when Mejia hit a game-tying RBI double.  She then scored just moments later on a Brinell Kaleikini game-winning RBI single.

Mejia picked up the win to improve to 2-0 after giving up eight hits and three runs, only two of which were earned.  Adair fell to 1-1 after surrendering 10 hits and two earned runs.
 
Staudle and Mrofcza had two hits apiece for CMU.
 
The Mavericks will continue tournament play next weekend playing five games at the Tucson Invitational Games, starting Friday against Saint Martin's (Wash.) and Biola (Calif.).