CHADRON, Neb.— Freshman catcher Ally Distler hit three home runs out of the No. 7 spot in the lineup while reigning Louisville Slugger/NFCA NCAA Division II Player of the Week Ellie Smith matched a Colorado Mesa University Maverick softball record with a 5-for-5 Game 2 performance as the Mavericks moved to the brink of a fifth straight Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference regular season title thanks to a 15-2 and 11-10 away sweep over host Chadron State College on Friday afternoon.
 
The Mavericks used a 9-run sixth-inning in Game 1 to post the run-rule victory and then battled back from 8-4 and 10-6 down to win the second game in eight innings as Smith drove in what would be the game-winning RBI on her fifth hit.
 
Distler had hit a 2-run homer in the top of the seventh, her second of the game and the third of the day, to help send it to extra innings.
 
Nicole Christensen also had a home run in each game as the Mavericks hit six as a team. 
 
Paige Adair also had a fine day in the circle recording two wins while striking out 16.  She allowed just one earned run in a 6-hit complete game effort in the first game before going 5 1/3 innings in relief, while surrendering just two runs, to pick up her RMAC-leading 16^th win in the second game of the twin-bill.
 
The Mavericks have now won eight straight games overall while improving to 32-2 overall and in the conference.  CMU can clinch at least a share of a RMAC regular season title and the right to host the May 13-15 RMAC Tournament with one more win on Saturday.  A doubleheader sweep would give the Mavs the title outright with a weekend to spare.
 
The Eagles, who had won five straight coming in, saw their RMAC Tournament qualification hopes significantly diminished as they fell to 12-22 overall and 12-18 in the conference as they were just two outs away from handing what would have been the Mavericks just their third loss.
 
Game 1
 
Both teams scored one run in the second inning before the Mavericks broke the game open in the fourth with a 4-run inning, featuring a 3-run homer from Distler, who was dropped two spots in the lineup.  The Mavs then loaded the bases again as Lauren Wedman put the Mavs up 5-1 with a RBI fielder's choice.
 
The Eagles did respond with a home run of their own from Jessie Henchenski in the bottom half of the second to close the gap to 5-2 but watched Nicole Christensen hit a home run from the clean-up spot to lead-off the fifth as the Mavericks regained a 4-run cushion.
 
After sending all nine hitters to the plate in the fourth, the Mavericks sent 14 batters in their 9-run barrage, which featured six hits and four walks.  Each of the 11 Mavericks who came up to the plate, including pinch-hitters Ava Fugate and Sarah Jorissen, reached safely at some point in the inning.  Wedman, who went 2-for-4 for three RBIs in the game, had two singles in the frame while Camryn Mullen, who got the starting nod at second base while hitting in the No. 5 spot, had the only extra-base hit of the inning, a double.
 
Adair, who had ten strikeouts in the game, recorded two in the bottom of the sixth while giving up just one more hit, to complete the game an inning early.
 
The Mavericks finished the game with 14 hits as Ashley Bradford went 3-for-4 from the No. 8 spot while Brooke Doumer went 2-for-3 while drawing a walk in the lead-off role.  She also stole two bases.
 
Distler finished with four RBIs and three runs.
 
Game 2
 
Christensen continued the Mavs' momentum from the first game through to the second as she hit a 3-run bomb in the top of the first to plate Doumer and Smith, who had both singled earlier in the frame.
 
However, the Eagles answered with two runs of their own in the bottom half of the inning before Distler put the Mavs ahead 4-2 with a lead-off shot to begin the second.
 
However, the Eagles scored a run in the bottom of the second and then plated five in the bottom of the third against three different Maverick pitchers.  Adair came on with two outs and the bases loaded and then struck out Ellie Owens to limit the damage, a play that proved to be pivotal.
 
Down 8-4 after three innings, the Mavericks left two runners on base in the fourth but scored two runs in the fifth thanks to a Smith home run, her RMAC-leading 15^th of the campaign.   That cut the gap to 8-6.
 
However, the Eagles regained a 4-run lead (10-6) as Bailey Rominger hit a 2-run single with two outs in the bottom of the fifth.
 
However, the Mavericks would again draw Eagle blood in the sixth as Drew Sims drew a 1-out walk before moving to third thanks to a stolen bag and passed ball as Doumer hit her home with a single to center.  After Doumer was caught stealing for the second out, Wedman singled to left and moved to second on a wild pitch, moments before Smith brought her home with an RBI single.
 
Adair then struck out the first two Eagle hitters in the bottom of the sixth before CSC managed two singles, both of which were stranded.
 
Needing two more runs in the seventh, the Mavericks got exactly that as Sarah Staudle hit a 1-out double setting up Distler for her game-tying homer.
 
Adair recorded another strikeout to get out of the bottom half of the inning unscathed.
 
With their deadly 1-2-3 combination due up in the eighth, Doumer led off with a single before moving to second on a Wedman sacrifice.  Smith then singled her home as the Mavs took an 11-10 lead.
 
The Mavericks did give up a single and an error with one out in the bottom of the eighth before Adair got two infield pop outs to claim the win, allowing CMU to improve to 2-0 in extra-inning games this season.
 
Smith also had four RBIs in her 5-hit game while Doumer and Staudle both went 3-for-4.  Distler and Christensen both had 3-RBI efforts.
 
The Mavericks banged out 16 hits as a team including four home runs.  The Eagles put up 15, the most of any team against the Mavericks this season.
 
Up Next
 
The two teams will play in another doubleheader, beginning at 11 a.m. on Saturday.