GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. – The No. 2 Colorado Mesa baseball team earned a doubleheader sweep of the No. 7 Northwest Nazarene Nighthawks on Saturday (Feb. 26) at Bergman Field. The Saturday sweep ensured the Mavericks of a series split with the formidable West Region foe.
 
In game one of the day, the Mavericks got enough offense and a special relief appearance to earn a 5-2 win over the Nighthawks.
 
Matthew Turner started off the game on the right foot. On the second pitch of the game, Turner hit an 0-1 pitch to dead away center field for a home run and a 1-0 lead.
 
Northwest Nazarene took the lead in the second inning after four consecutive singles to give NNU a 2-1 lead.
 
Colorado Mesa got those runs right back on a bases loaded double play and a RBI double by Johnny Carr.
 
After three NNU singles and a walk, left-handed reliever Austin Lorenz entered the ball game on the mound. He proceeded to induce a strikeout and an infield pop-up to thwart the threat.
 
Lorenz would get some insurance in the seventh as Jordan Stubbings hit a sacrifice fly to center field that wound up scoring two after an error.
 
Lorenz wound up pitching the final six and two-thirds in relief of starter Isaac Hayen. Lorenz allowed just two hits, walked one and struck out six to earn the win and move to 2-0. The senior retired seven in a row at one point.
 
Turner and Carr each finished with two hits at the plate.
 
In the final game of the series, Maverick righthander Josh Danyliw was nearly unhittable as he pitched the first complete game shutout of his career in an 8-0 win for Colorado Mesa.
 
The junior scattered three hits but didn't allow his first hit until the fifth inning but retired 12 of the first 13 batters he faced. The Lone Tree, Colo. finished allowing just the three hits, walked two and struck out four in 92 pitches to improve to 1-0 on the season. With the shutout, he cut his season ERA down to 5.40.
 
Danyliw didn't need it but got plenty of offense from some of the Mavericks usual suspects. Haydn McGeary hit a two-run home run in the first inning to pace Colorado Mesa to a 2-0 lead. Later in the first Spencer Bramwell delivered a two-run single to put the Mavs up 4-0 after just one inning of action.
 
Conrad Villafuerte hit a sacrifice fly in the third followed by a Caleb Farmer two-run homer to left center in the fourth inning. The Maverick offense ceased in the bottom of the fifth on a RBI single by Matthew Turner.
 
Robert Sharrar finished the game 3-for-4 with a run scored while Farmer, McGeary, and Bramwell all finished with two hits.
 
The Mavericks will be back in action next weekend as they open RMAC play with a four-game series against Adams State at Bergman Field.