GRAND JUNCTION, Colo.— Colorado Mesa University's Ellie Smith hit two home runs, drove in five runs on a 5-for-7 day and pitched four innings of a combined shutout to propel the Mavericks to a key Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Softball sweep over visiting Colorado Christian University on Saturday afternoon here at the CMU Softball Stadium.
 
Smith had two home runs and a double with four RBIs in the first game and then delivered an important lead-doubling RBI infield single in the fifth inning of Game 2 after giving up just two hits of her combined shutout with Shea Mauser as the Mavericks held the Cougars to just five combined hits in the 7-2 and 2-0 victories.
 
With the wins, the RMAC-leading and nation's 17^th-ranked Mavericks ran their overall and RMAC record to 28-2 while the second place Cougars fell further behind in the RMAC standings with a 22-5 conference record.  CCU, now 4 ½ games, three losses and 118 winning percentage points behind the Mavericks, came into the 4-game series, which will continue Sunday with a Senior Day doubleheader at 11 a.m., ranked third in the country in scoring.  They fell to 23-8 overall as they were swept by the same opponent for the first time this season.
 
The Mavericks, who are the top offensive team in the country, out-hit the Cougars, 16-5 and relied heavily on their strong pitching to take the massively important doubleheader sweep.
 
The Cougars' only two runs came in the seventh inning of the first game as they trailed 7-0 before Samaria Roope hit a 2-run homer to end a shutout bid by CMU redshirt junior Paige Adair, who allowed just three hits and two walks while striking out five to earn the first game win.
 
Game 1
 
Adair moved to 13-1 on the season as she took a no-hitter into the fifth inning before her only wobble of the day, which proved to be meaningless to the overall outcome.
 
Meanwhile, the Mavericks put up a run in the bottom of the first on a 2-out solo home run before striking for five second-inning runs.
 
In that inning, Lauren Wedman had a key 3-run double before Smith drove her in with her second home run is many at bats over the scoreboard in left center field as the Mavericks quickly extended their lead to 6-0.
 
The Mavericks then added another run in the sixth on Smith hit her national-leading 19^th double of the season to plate Wedman, who had reached on an error.
 
Trailing 7-0 and managing just one hit through six innings, the Cougars then received a 1-out single from Caitlin McCarthy before Roope put the Cougars on the board with much too-little-to-late runs.
 
The Mavericks had ten hits in the game, six of which were for extra bases, as Smith went 3-for-4 while Nicole Christensen had a double in a 2-for-4 day.  Staudle and Ashley Bradford also doubled.
 
McCarthy was 2-for-3 while the rest of the Cougars went 1-for-21 against Adair, who had three 1-2-3 innings.
 
Jennifer Romero (8-3) took the loss for CCU after giving up five hits and four runs in 1 1/3 innings before Sydney Rawlings came on with the bases loaded in the bottom of the second only to give up the Wedman 3-run double and Smith's second home run.  Rawlings gave up two earned runs and struck out three after giving up five hits in 4 2/3 innings of relief.
 
Game 2
 
Smith got the start inside the circle in game two and struck out two Cougars in the top of the first as CCU stranded two runners on base.  The Cougars then turned in a double play in the bottom of the first before the Mavericks' Christensen made a nice defensive pay of her own to retire McCarthy, who had singled and advanced to second on an error to begin the top of the second.
 
The Mavericks were the first to crack the scoring column in the bottom of the third as they used their speed to manufacture a run.  Drew Sims beat out a bunt single, her second of the day, to begin the inning and then went to third when Brooke Doumer put down a sacrifice bunt before a collision with Roope at first base prompted an umpire conference, which eventually led to a 1^st-and-3^rd, no body out situation. 
 
Wedman then delivered a sacrifice fly to left as Sims scored the go-ahead run.
 
The Cougars then put runners on second and third with just one out thanks a Stephanie Day single, a CMU error and a sacrifice bunt.  After Roope drew a walk to load the bases, Sami Edwards lined to Christensen, who snagged a shoe-lace level ball to retire Edwards and step on third base to double-off Day as the Mavericks carried a 1-0 lead into the bottom of the fourth.

The Mavericks then wasted a similar opportunity in the bottom of the inning as they turned to Mauser for the fifth inning.  The redshirt sophomore delivered allowing just one walk in three innings of hitless relief to earn her second save of the season.
 
That walk came with one out in the fifth as Mauser went on to retire the final eight Cougars she faced.
 
Meanwhile, the Mavericks added an insurance run in the bottom of the fifth as Doumer walked and Wedman laid down a bunt single on both sides of a pitching change.  Smith then singled off the glove of Sydney Reamer at third base as Doumer, the national leader in runs per game, came running around third to extend the Mavs' lead to 2-0.
 
CCU would avoid further damage with a Reamer double play but could do nothing against Mauser offensively as the Mavericks' picked up their sixth shutout of the season.
 
Julie Katz, who gave up just four hits in four-plus innings, and Roope, who allowed two in two winnings of relief, held CMU to just six hits, all singles.  However, Katz took the loss, her first of the season to fall to 8-1.
 
Smith moved to 10-0 with the win.
 
Smith and Sarah Staudle, who along with Doumer, will be recognized during Sunday's Senior Day festivities, both went 2-for-3 to lead CMU in the game offensively.