GRAND JUNCTION, Colo.— The Colorado Mesa University Mavericks rallied from 4-1 down in the bottom of the seventh to win the first game on a walk-off home run in the bottom of the tenth before dominating the visiting Regis University Rangers in the second of a Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference softball doubleheader on Saturday afternoon here at the CMU Softball Stadium.
 
The Mavericks won the first game, their first extra-inning contest of the year, 7-4, as Ally Distler hit a 3-run walk-off shot down the left field line.  They then took the second 11-0 in five innings as Brandi Haller hit her second and third home runs of the day while Shea Mauser took a no-hitter into the fourth inning of her eventual 2-hit shutout.
 
In the process, the Mavericks extended their winning streak to 23 games improving to 24-4 overall and a perfect 16-0 in RMAC play.  The Rangers, who stand in third place in the RMAC standings, led for much of the first game but slipped to 20-13 overall and to 14-4 in the league with the two losses.
 
Game 1
 
The Rangers and pitcher Kylie Harpman held the normally potent Maverick attack to just two hits through five innings as they built a 3-1 lead in the sixth thanks to a Mia Moore RBI double and run-scoring Carly Gray bunt.
 
The Rangers then added another run in the seventh on a Rachel Williams RBI single.
 
However, the Mavericks came roaring back in the bottom half of the seventh as Haller hit a 1-out home run off Harpman before the Mavs scored two more runs with two outs to tie the game.
 
Lauren Wedman, hitting in the No. 9 hole, began the late charge with an infield single before scoring on a RBI double by fellow Tucson, Arizonan Ashley Bradford.  Myah Arrieta then singled Bradford home to tie the game and send it into extra innings.
 
The Rangers then left two of their 12 total runners on base in the eighth before going down quietly in the ninth and tenth against Maverick pitcher Paige Adair, the third used in the game.  Adair struck out the side in the tenth and then watched Arrieta single to begin the bottom of the tenth.  Ellie Smith, who had pitched five innings in relief of Mauser earlier in the game, then singled.
 
Regis' Katherine Raper then came on in relief of Harpman.  After a fielder's choice, she then served up a pitch to Distler, who drove the ball out of the park for the game-winning blast.
 
Distler had also had a sacrifice fly, her national-leading sixth of the year, in the bottom of the fourth as the Mavericks had tied the game at 1 after giving up a run in the top of the first.
 
The Mavericks finished the game with 11 hits, nine of which came in the sixth, seventh and tenth innings. 
 
Smith led the charge going 3-for-4 while Arrieta added her two hits, including the game-tying RBI single.
 
Adair (6-1) picked up the win in the circle while Harpman fell to 10-5 after giving up ten hits in 9-plus innings for the Rangers.
 
Jessi Case was 3-for-6 in the game to lead the Rangers, who finished with ten hits.
 
Game 2
 
After having to rally to win the first, the Mavericks were dominant in the second game as Haller hit home runs in both the second and fourth innings to book-end the scoring.
 
The Mavs scored five runs in both the second and third innings to take a 10-0 lead and then capped their seventh shutout of the season in the fourth with Haller's third home run of the day and the seventh of her season in the bottom of the fourth.
 
Meanwhile, Mauser started for the second time of the day and held the Rangers hit-less for three innings before giving up two singles in the fourth, the first of which resulted in an out as pinch-runner Madison Flores was hit by a laser off Raper's bat.  Mauser then retired the final five Rangers she faced to improve to 7-1 with her second individual shutout of the season.  Mauser also struck out seven Rangers in the game after fanning five in the initial three innings of the first game.
 
Offensively, the Mavericks pounded out 13 hits, five of which came in the second inning alone.
 
After Haller's 2-run homer early in the inning, Arrieta had a RBI double to score Iliana Mendoza, who had drawn a walk.  Arrieta and Bradford then both scored on a Smith RBI double.
 
The Mavs then doubled their lead to 10-0 with another 5-hit third inning, which was also aided by a pair of Ranger errors. 
 
Smith and Ava Fugate had back-to-back RBI singles to punctuate the rally that saw the Mavericks bring 11 batters to the plate after all nine had batted in the second.
 
Smith was 3-for-3 in the game and 6-for-7 in the doubleheader while Arrieta, Bradford, Nicole Christensen and Haller all finish with two hits each in the second game.  Haller and Smith both had three RBIs.
 
Abby Covington (3-2) took the loss for the Rangers as the first of three Rangers to work in the circle.
 
The Mavericks continue to lead the RMAC standings by a game over Colorado Christian (27-5, 15-1 RMAC), which ran its' winning streak to 13 with a 4-3 and 3-1 home doubleheader sweep over CSU Pueblo.
 
The Mavericks will play Regis in another doubleheader on Sunday at 11 a.m.  The Rangers will then return home to play Colorado Christian next weekend while the Mavs will go to Las Vegas, New Mexico to play New Mexico Highlands.