TUCSON, Ariz.— The Colorado Mesa University pitchers allowed just one run and six total hits while four different Maverick hitters delivered RBI hits to lead the Maverick softball team to a pair of wins on Friday, the first day of action at the Division II Cactus Classic here at Lincoln Park.
 
In their first game of the day, Paige Adair tossed a 2-hit shutout as the Mavericks scratched out a 1-0 win over Azusa Pacific University thanks to an unearned run in the bottom of the fifth. 
 
The Mavericks then scored three runs in the top of the third and added another run in the fifth as they claimed a 4-1 victory over Western New Mexico University in their early afternoon contest.
 
Tucson native Ashley Bradford hit a solo home run to begin that 3-run third before Nicole Christensen, who had three hits throughout the day, doubled the lead to 2-0 with an RBI single.  Ellie Smith, who surrendered just four hits, a walk and an unearned run in a complete game victory, also hit a RBI double as part of the third inning.
 
Ally Distler then registered a run-scoring single in the fifth against the Mustangs.
 
Adair, now 2-1, was strong against the APU Cougars, recording her seventh career shutout while striking out five.
 
No Cougar reached third base as Adair allowed just four total baserunners in her pitcher's duel with Cougar counterpart Sydnie Sahhar, who dropped to 1-3 despite giving up just three hits while striking out 11 Mavericks.
 
Playing as the home team, the Mavericks left two runners on in the second and another in the first and fourth innings before cashing in in the fifth as Tucson native Iliana Mendoza hit a 2-out single before pinch runner Rylee Crouch stole second.  Crouch then scored the game's only run on an error after the ball was put in play by another Tucson native in Lauren Wedman.
 
The Cougars then put two runners on in the top of the sixth before Adair caught Dani Burghardt looking to end the mini-threat.  Both teams then went down in order in the seventh.
 
The Mavericks batted first in the game against WNMU and failed to score in the first two innings despite a lead-off double by Christensen in the second.  However, the Mustangs also started runners in scoring position in each of the first two innings of what was a scoreless game to that point.
 
Bradford then hit her 2-out solo homer to break the dead-lock before Wedman walked and stole second, setting up Christensen for an RBI single to right.  Smith then doubled home Christensen to give the Mavericks a 3-0 lead in the middle of the third.
 
The Mustangs then scored their unearned run on the second of three Maverick runs in the bottom half of the inning, making the score 3-1.
 
Both teams then left runners on in the fourth before Wedman walked and stole second to begin the fifth.  She then later scored from third on a 2-out Distler RBI single as Smith, now 1-2, went on to allow just one more walk and one hit in the final three innings to complete the victory.
 
She finished with five strikeouts to match Adair's outing in that category.
 
Eight different Mavericks combined for ten hits in the second game win.
 
The Mavs play three more games in the tournament, including Saturday afternoon contests against California (Pa.) and Simon Fraser (B.C.).