DENVER— McKenzie Surface became the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference's winningest pitcher of all-time as the nation's 17^th-ranked Colorado Mesa University Mavericks completed a 4-game weekend sweep of MSU Denver while moving into first place in the conference standings with 5-2 and 4-2 wins over the Roadrunners on Sunday here at the Regency Athletic Complex.
 
The Mavericks won the first game in eighth innings as the Mavs scored three runs in the eighth before Surface came on to earn her first save of the season.  The Colorado Springs native and Discovery Canyon High School product then went six innings while allowing just two in the second game win to claim her 79^th career victory to surpass the former record of 78, which had been set by Regis' Kaitlyn Gentert in 2008.
 
Surface is now 9-0 this season for the Mavericks, who improved to 20-6 overall and to 13-3 in conference play with their fourth and fifth straight victories, all of which came on the same field, where the Mavericks are now 6-2 this season.
 
The Roadrunners lost their seventh and eighth straight games falling to 11-17 overall and 7-7 in conference play.
 
Game 1
 
The Mavericks recorded a dozen hits but left ten runners on base and needed an extra-inning to get the win.
 
They took a 2-0 lead in the third inning as Ashley Bradford led off the frame with a double before scoring on a 2-out RBI single by AnnMarie Torres, who later scored an unearned run on a Jordyn Hays single to left.
 
Meanwhile, Kimbri Herring spread four hits allowed in five scoreless innings before her Roadrunner counterpart Darby McGhee got out of a 2-on, 1-out jam in the top of the sixth.
 
The Roadrunners rode that momentum scoring the first run in the bottom of the sixth as Ashlee Kim led off the inning with a triple before scoring moments later on a McGhee RBI groundout.
 
With a 2-1 lead, the Mavs looked for some insurance in the top of the seventh as Brooke Doumer led off the inning with a double before moving to third on a Kellie Mrofcza sacrifice.  After a walk to Torres that put runners on the corners, Doumer was tagged out at the plate on a fielder's choice as the Roadrunners got out of the inning.
 
They would then tie the game in the bottom of the seventh with an unearned run.
 
However, the Mavericks responded in the extra frame with a big inning, triggered by a Sarah Staudle lead-off double.  Moving to third on a sacrifice by Lauren Wedman, Staudle scored on a Doumer RBI single to short.  Mrofcza then hit a 2-run double just two plays later plating Doumer and Bradford.
 
Surface then came on for the bottom of the seventh and after allowing a lead-off single to McGhee, she retired the final three Roadrunners, including one by strikeout, to earn the save.
 
Herring picked up the win after allowing just seven hits and a single earned run while striking out three.  She is now 7-3 this season and has 44 career victories in 51 decisions.

Doumer went 3-for-5 while Mrofcza was 2-for-3 to lead the Maverick offensive attack from the top of the lineup.
 
Game 2
 
Doumer and Mrofcza were also the catalysts for the opening run of the second game as Doumer drew a lead-off walk before stealing second and scoring on a Mrofcza double.  However, the Mavericks would leave three runners on in that inning and another in the second before Torres homered to left center to double the lead to 2-0 on the first play of the third inning.  That was her eighth home run of the season.
 
In the fourth inning, the Mavericks would double the lead once again to 4-0 with a Mrofcza 2-run double but again left three runners on base.
 
Meanwhile, Surface allowed just a single hit in each of the first three innings before Laney Sheppard hit a home run to begin the bottom of the fourth, which also included a line-out double play and one her five strikeouts in the game.
 
Neither team would score in the fifth although the Roadrunners would close the deficit to 4-2 with a JJ Sheppard RBI double with one out in the bottom of the sixth.
 
The Roadrunners then threatened in the seventh as well against Maverick reliever Paige Adair, who would hold on to record her third save of the season, the most of any Maverick since Sara Jordan's school-record 2009 season (4).  MSU Denver's Megan Sansburn led off the inning with a walk before moving to second on a RBI groundout and to third on an Ashlee Kim single.  Kim then stole second representing the tying run in scoring position.
 
However, Adair struck out McGhee, the Roadrunners' top hitter, and got JJ Sheppard to ground out as the Mavs closed out the win as well as the doubleheader and series sweep.
 
The Mavericks were held to just four hits but drew six walks, five of which were handed out by starter Kylee Burnside, who fell to 3-4 after giving up four runs in 3 1/3 innings.
 
Mrofcza had two of those hits and finished with three RBIs while extending her hitting streak to 11 games.
 
RMAC Standings
 
With their 13-3 RMAC record and .813 league winning percentage, the Mavericks are now five wins ahead of Colorado Christian, which is officially second with an 8-2 mark.  The Cougars were due to begin a series at Regis on Sunday but had Sunday's doubleheader canceled due to unplayable field conditions.  They will attempt to play a tripleheader on Monday.
 
The Colorado School of Mines is third at 10-3 (.769)  after a pod-series sweep of Adams State and Chadron State this weekend while Dixie State is a game behind the Mavericks in the standings in fourth with a 12-4 (.750) as one of just four RMAC teams (CMU, Adams State, Fort Lewis) to have not lost a RMAC game to weather this season.
 
Up Next
 
The Mavericks will now return home to the CMU Softball Field for their next eight and 16 of their next 20 games, a stretch that begins Saturday at noon with the first of two straight RMAC doubleheaders against Adams State (6-22, 6-10 RMAC).