COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.— Eighth-inning home runs by Ava Fugate and Ally Distler and a career-high-matching ten strikeouts from pitcher Shea Mauser helped the Colorado Mesa University Maverick softball team pull out an 8-5 extra-inning victory and complete a series sweep over the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs Mountain Lions on Saturday here at Mountain Lion Field.
 
The Mavericks had won the first game of Saturday's doubleheader and the third game of the series, 4-1, and did their part to set up a likely Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference title-determining series next weekend against Colorado Christian University.
 
Including, the extra-inning heroic blasts, the Mavs hit five more home runs on Saturday raising their season total a NCAA Division II-leading 78 as they won for the 12^th and 13^th straight times.  Winners of 36 of their last 37 overall, the now 37-5 (29-1 RMAC) Mavericks will play an even hotter team next weekend in CCU, which also completed a series sweep over Adams State University in Alamosa on Saturday.
 
The Cougars, who rank second in Division II with 77 home runs, are 41-5 overall and are tied with CMU for the RMAC lead at 29-1.  The Cougars have won 27 straight games heading into next Saturday and Sunday's 4-game set (Apr. 23-24) at All-Star Park in Lakewood.
 
On Saturday, the Maverick pitchers struck out 23 combined Mountain Lions and allowed just six combined hits to UCCS, which slipped below .500 to 19-21 with the losses.  The Mountain Lions are now 17-15 in RMAC play but still hold down the No. 5 spot in the RMAC standings.
 
Game 1
 
The Mountain Lions took their first lead of the series in the bottom of the second as pinch runner Brianna Jennings stole second before racing around to score on a Maverick throwing error.
 
However, CMU all-American Lauren Wedman wasted little time in answering as she hit the first pitch of the third inning over the right field fence to the game at 1.
 
The Mavs then took a 3-1 lead in the fourth as fellow Tucson, Arizona native and Sahuaro High School product Ashley Bradford hit a 2-out single to score Fugate and Iliana Mendoza, who also hails from Tucson.  Fugate had begun the inning with a 1-out single before Mendoza hit a 2-out single just two plays later.  Wedman then drew a walk to set up Bradford for what proved to be the game-winning hit.
 
The Mavs then added an unearned security run in the sixth after Wedman reached on an error, which allowed Nicole Christensen to score.  Christensen had reached with a 1-out single and then moved to second on a Mountain Lion error and third on a passed ball.
 
Meanwhile, the Maverick pitchers were in good form.
 
Paige Adair got the start and went five innings, allowing just two hits and the single unearned run.  She also struck out ten Mountain Lions while walking two in five innings of work to pick up the win while moving to 13-1.
 
With the 4-1 lead, Ellie Smith then came on in relief to retire six of the eight Mountain Lions she faced to earn her second save of the series and the season.  Smith struck out three and allowed just one hit.
 
Christensen went 2-for-3 to lad the Maverick offense, which recorded six hits in total off UCCS starter Braelyn Crenshaw (6-11), who walked four Mavericks while striking out six in her complete game effort.
 
Game 2
 
The Mavericks were the ones to take the early lead in the second game as Bradford led the game off with a home run, her 11^th of the season. 
 
However, UCCS answered in the bottom of the first as Sawyer Brewster hit a 2-run shot to give the Mountain Lions a 2-1 lead.
 
The Mavs had just one base runner in the second and third innings combined but came back to tie the game in the fourth as freshman Myah Arrieta led-off the inning with a home run, which was her fourth of the season.
 
Christensen then hit a 1-out double and moved to third on a wild pitch but was stranded there.
 
The Mavs also were gunned down on both parts of a double steal attempt in the top of fifth but were able to get out of some trouble in the bottom of the seventh, turning a double play before Mauser got a fly out, which stranded Jennings at third.
 
With two outs in the eighth, Fugate hit her home run to left center to put the Mavs up for good, 3-2.  Arrieta then singled before Distler hit her team-leading 15^th homer of the season to extend the lead to 5-2.
 
Mauser then tossed a 1-2-3 bottom of the eighth while facing two pinch-hitters to earn the win.
 
She allowed just three hits, two walks and two runs in the victory, her 11^th of the season.
 
Fugate, who had come on as a pinch-hitter for Smith, and Arrieta both had two hits for the Mavs, who had eight as a team.  Four of those were home runs.
 
Mackenzie Rutkoff took the loss for UCCS while falling to 4-3.  She did have seven strikeouts in 7 2/3 innings.