GRAND JUNCTION, Colo.— Colorado Mesa University's Ellie Smith, Nicole Christensen and Lauren Wedman combined for 17 RBIs along with eight extra-base hits, including three home runs as the Mavericks posted 10-1 and 10-6 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference softball wins over the visiting New Mexico Highlands University Cowgirls on Friday afternoon here at the CMU Softball Field.
 
Smith, the reigning RMAC Player of the Week, hit a second-inning grand slam in the first game, decided in five innings by the mercy rule, and added three doubles on a 4-for-6, 8-RBI day. 
 
Christensen had a home run in each game, her sixth and seventh of the campaign, and went 4-for-7 with three RBIs while extending her hitting streak to 14 consecutive games. 
 
Wedman hit a triple in each game while going  2-for-4 with pair of walks and six RBIs on the day as the Mavericks, ranked 19^th nationally, increased their RMAC lead while improving to 17-1 on the season.  NMHU fell to 5-17 as they were defeated for the 13^th time in their last 14 games.
 
Game 1
 
The Mavericks scored six runs in the bottom of the second as Christensen led the inning off with a solo home run minutes before the Mavericks loaded the bases with a Sarah Staudle double and free passes to Ashley Bradford, who was hit by a pitch, and to Brooke Doumer.  Wedman then drew a RBI walk to double the lead before Smith took then ensuing pitch over the left field fence for her seventh home run of the season, two of which have been grand slams.
 
Meanwhile, Maverick pitcher Paige Adair, who improved to a RMAC-best 9-0 retired ten of the first 12 hitters she faced before giving up a solo home run to Carlee Gonzalez, who along with Camrynn Ziegler, combined for four of the Cowgirls' six hits putting NMHU on the board in the top of the fourth.
 
The Mavericks then went on to score four more runs of their own in the bottom half Wedman hit a no-out 3-run triple before scoring on Smith's second double of the game.
 
Adair then allowed a harmless 2-out single in the top of the fifth as the Mavericks made quick work of the first game, which lasted just 75 minutes.
 
The Mavericks had just eight hits in the game although six were for extra-bases. 
 
Adair gave up just five singles and the Gonzalez homerun without walking any Cowgirls.  She also struck out seven.
 
Smith had five RBIs in the game while Wedman had four.
 
Game 2
 
The Mavericks wasted little time in building their second game lead as Doumer, who scored five runs without a hit on the day, was hit by a pitch, one of three she took during the doubleheader before stealing second and taking third on the same wild pitch.  Wedman then delivered a sacrifice fly.
 
Later in the bottom of the first, Christensen singled before Sarah Staudle was hit by a pitch to load the bases for Aislyn Sharp, who singled to right to give the Mavs an early 3-0- lead.
Wedman then had another RBI triple in the second to plate Doumer matched a Maverick single-game record with her second hit by pitch in as many innings giving CMU a 4-0 lead.
 
The Cowgirls did pull two runs back in the fourth but grounded into a double play as the Mavericks preserved a 4-2 lead into the bottom half of the inning, when they scored six.
 
A 3-run Smith double and 2-run Christensen home run highlighted that inning, which was also helped by three Cowgirl errors.
 
Down 10-2 and needing to score to avoid being run-ruled for the second straight game, the Cowgirls did deliver in the top of the fifth as Gonzalez hit a grand slam to make the score 10-6.
 
However, Smith came on in relief of starter Shea Mauser giving up just two hits in 2 2/3 innings of work as the Mavericks cruised to the win.
 
Mauser did do enough to improve to 3-1 with the win as she lasted 4 1/3 innings while giving up just five hits and two walks while striking out two.  Smith struck out five Cowgirls in her relief stint.
 
Christensen was 3-for-4 in the game while six other Mavericks recorded a hit as well.
 
The two teams will play another doubleheader on Saturday at 11 a.m.