TUCSON, Ariz. – The Colorado Mesa softball team continued their string of wins at the Cactus Classic on Saturday (Feb. 19) as they came away with a win against California (Pa.) and earned a walk-off win against Simon Fraser at Lincoln Park.
Brandi Haller's two-run home run in the fourth inning gave the Mavericks the lead for good in a 6-4 win over California (Pa.) from the Atlantic Region and the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference.
The redshirt junior from Grand Junction deposited her first home run as a Maverick over the fence in left field to give the Mavericks a 5-4 lead in the game. The lead was their first of the game as they trailed 3-0 after just two innings of play.
Myah Arrieta gave Colorado Mesa some insurance as she laced a single to left field scoring pinch runner
Bryerly Avina on the play to make it 6-4.
After trailing 3-0 after the second inning, the Mavericks evened the score with one swing of the bat. Redshirt junior
Ellie Smith hit her first home run of the season to venter field, a three-run shot that scored
Nicole Christensen and
Lauren Wedman.
Arrieta finished the game with three hits while
Ashley Bradford and Christensen each had two hits.
Paige Adair claimed the win in the circle in relief of starter
Shea Mauser. Adair allowed one run (unearned) on three hits, walked none and struck out nine in five and two-thirds innings for her third win of the season.
In the night cap, Arrieta stroked a single to left field in the bottom of the seventh inning to give Colorado Mesa a 4-3 win over West Region foe Simon Fraser, out of Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada.
It was the Grand Junction product's only hit of the game, but it was important as it scored pinch-runner
Rylee Crouch on the play. Crouch was running for Smith who had evened the game up just a batter before Arrieta. Smith singled to center to score
Ashley Bradford to knot the game at 3-3 in the last half of the game.
Colorado Mesa took the early lead in the game as they led 2-0 after the first inning. Wedman and
Mallory Warner each reached on errors that produced runs.
Simon Fraser took a 3-2 lead in the fourth inning after an error and a two-run single gave them the lead.
Each team committed three errors in the game while the Mavericks outhit Simon Fraser 9-8.
Bradford, Christensen, and Smith all had two hits in the game.
Smith picked up her second win of the season in the circle. She pitched a complete game allowing three runs, on eight hits, walked three and struck out three.
Colorado Mesa moves their season record to 5-4 on the season.
The Mavericks will close out the tournament on Sunday morning with a South Central Region matchup with Eastern New Mexico at 9 a.m.
