GRAND JUNCTION, Colo.— Kellie Mrofcza drilled a 3-run home run while
McKenzie Surface allowed just three hits in her first start of the season to lift the Colorado Mesa University to a 6-2 second game win as the Mavericks and Dixie State University Trailblazers split a key Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference doubleheader between nationally-ranked foes on the Saturday at the CMU Softball Stadium.
The Trailblazers, ranked 22th nationally and picked to win the RMAC in their first year in the conference, according to the league's preseason coaches' poll, won the first game 6-0 before the No. 17 and 3-time defending RMAC Champion Mavericks bounced back to earn the split heading into the third and fourth games of the series on Sunday, slated for an 11 a.m. start.
CMU, held to just four hits and without a run for the first time since the end of the 2017 season, now stand 12-4 overall and 5-1 in the RMAC, a game ahead of the Trailblazers (10-3, 4-2 RMAC), who were playing their first road games of the season after going 3-1 to begin their RMAC history at home in St. George, Utah last Sunday and Monday.
Game One
The Trailblazers, who will be moving to the Division I ranks after just two years in the RMAC following the 2020 season, banged out 10 hits and left just five runners on base as they took advantage of their opportunities while getting a solid 4-hit shutout effort out of 2018 NFCA Third Team All-America pitcher Cambrie Hazel.
Meanwhile, the Mavericks left eight runners on base as they were shutout for the first time since the 2017 NCAA Division II South Central Regional Tournament and for the first time at home since Feb. 23, 2016, when the then No. 2 Trailblazers won a non-conference doubleheader.
DSU got things going in the top of the second when Kori Gahn and Bailey Gaffin had back-to-back doubles as part of a 3-run, 4-hit inning to take a 3-0 lead. Meanwhile, the Mavericks left four runners on in the first three innings before Dixie scored two more unearned runs in the top of the fourth to go up 5-0 en-route to the win.
Hazel (4-1) struck out eight Mavericks as Gahn and Gaffin each went 2-for-4 to supplement a strong 3-for-3, by Kaitlyn Delange, who had RBI hits in each of her three at bats. The Trailblazers also had four doubles amongst their 10 total hits.
CMU managed just four hits although
Brooke Doumer had three from the lead-off spot. She was also one of the four Mavericks that was hit by a Hazel pitch.
Kimbri Herring took the loss for the Mavericks and fell to 5-2 on the year after giving up six hits and three earned runs in four innings of work before
Paige Adair allowed just one run in three innings of relief.
Game Two
After two scoreless innings, the Mavericks would take their first lead of the day in the third as
Hailey Hinson drew a lead-off walk before moving to second on a Doumer sacrifice. She then scored two plays later as
AnnMarie Torres had the second of her four second-game singles to record her RMAC-leading 25
th RBI of the season with two outs.
However, Dixie responded in the top of the fourth with a 2-run homer by Kori Gahn as the Trailblazers up 2-1.
That changed a few minutes later in the bottom half of the inning when the Mavericks tied the game on a Doumer RBI single. On the next pitch, Mrofcza delivered a 2-out laser over the left-center field fence for her second homer of the season to give the Mavericks a 5-2 lead.
The Mavericks then added an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth as Doumer hit a 1-out double before scoring on a Torres RBI single down the left field line with two outs.
With some light rain starting, the Mavericks and Surface then closed out the win in the top of the seventh.
Surface, now 3-0, went the distance to earn her 73
rd career win. She struck out four Trailblazers.
Meanwhile, the Mavericks recorded 11 hits including two from Doumer, who had a 5-for-6 overall day, and four from Torres, who had two RBIs.
DSU freshman Carissa Burgess (6-1) was beaten for the first time in her collegiate career and gave up all six runs and two walks while striking out four.
