GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. – The top-ranked Colorado Mesa baseball team is moving on to championship Saturday as they came back from a morning defeat to top third-seeded and 17
th ranked MSU Denver 13-5 on Friday evening at Suplizio Field in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Tournament.
The Mavericks, playing as the visitor's, scored in seven of the nine innings that they batted in while pounding out 15 hits. Eight of the nine batters in the starting lineup had hits but all reached base during the game.
The middle of the Maverick order did damage to the Roadrunner pitching staff this evening as they combined to go 7-for-16 (.437) with four runs scored and seven runs driven in.
Haydn McGeary was 2-for-5 with his 25
th double and his 18
th home run of the season.
Jordan Stubbings followed McGeary in the lineup and went 3-for-6 with a run scored, four RBIs and a double while
Tanner Rempel brought up the backend of the middle going 2-for-5 with a run driven in and his eighth double of the season.
Chase Hamilton hit his third home run of the season in the top of the third inning.
Tyler Parker and
Matthew Turner each had multi-hit games as well.
Starting pitcher
Trevin Reynolds was outstanding in his first postseason start of 2021. Reynolds allowed just one run on three hits, walked three and struck out 11 in eight innings of work. He improved his season record to 8-0 on the season.
The win gave the Mavericks 40 on the season, making it eight straight (full) seasons hitting the magic number.
Colorado Mesa will have a rematch with UCCS in the RMAC title game beginning at 2pm from Suplizio Field.
UCCS 4, #1 Colorado Mesa 1 (Earlier in the day) – In the winner's bracket final, Colorado Mesa and UCCS locked in a pitcher's duel to determine who moved onto championship Saturday. UCCS' Jonathan Cowles out-dueled Colorado Mesa's
Kannon Handy to give the Mountain Lions a 4-1 win.
Handy allowed four runs (three earned) on seven hits, walked three and struck out eight in eight and two-thirds innings and fell to 4-1 on the season. It was the first loss by a Maverick regular starter on the season.
Handy's counterpart, Cowles allowed just one run on five hits, walked two and struck out five to finish the complete game.
The Mountain Lions scored three of their four runs in the sixth inning while the Mavericks countered with one in the frame on a RBI double off the bat of
Haydn McGeary.
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