LAS VEGAS, N.M.— Paige Adair and Shea Mauser fanned 17 Cowgirls in complete game shutouts as the offense hit five home runs to power the Colorado Mesa University Mavericks to a pair of mercy-rule Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference softball victories over New Mexico Highlands University on Saturday afternoon here at Brandt Field.
 
Ally Distler hit two of the Mavericks' four home runs in the 10-0 first-game victory ended after five innings before Rylee Crouch went long in an 8-0 second-game victory.
 
Meanwhile, Adair struck out nine Cowgirls while giving up just two hits and walk in the first game.  Mauser then set eight Cowgirls down on strikes as she gave up just five hits and a walk in her 6-inning shutout.
 
The Mavericks have now won 26 of their last 27 games and stand 27-5 overall and 19-1 in the RMAC, still good for a share of the conference lead with Colorado Christian, which claimed 5-1 and 5-2 road wins over third place Regis on Saturday in Denver.
 
NMHU fell to 7-25 overall and to 5-17 with Saturday's doubleheader sweep.
 
The Mavericks have now recorded nine shutouts this season.
 
Game 1
 
The Mavericks left three runners on base in the opening two innings but cashed in during their second trip through the batting order.  With two outs in the top of the third, Distler hit a 2-run homer to left before Sarah Jorissen made it back-to-back blasts with another homer to the same territory. 
 
Ellie Smith then hit a 3-run home run in the top of the fourth to double the Mavericks' lead to 6-0 on one swing.  Distler then hit yet another home run immediately after the resulting pitching change, her team-leading 11^th of the season.
 
Myah Arrieta then had a 3-run double in the top of the fifth to complete the scoring.
 
The Mavericks recorded 13 hits in the game as Arrieta went 3-for-3 with a walk while Distler, Jorissen, Brandi Haller and Iliana Mendoza, all went 2-for-3.
 
Meanwhile, Adair (8-1) struck out the side in both the second and third while retiring each of the last six Cowgirls she faced, many of whom were pinch-hitters.  She allowed just three total base runners, only one of which reached second base.
 
Game 2
 
The Mavericks also exploded in the third inning of the game two as they scored five runs thanks to RBI singles from Smith, Jorissen and Haller.
 
The Mavs had five hits in the inning, all singles, and took advantage of two stolen bases, a walk and a throwing error to build the big lead.
 
CMU managed just one walk in the fourth and fifth innings combined before scoring three runs in the sixth, all with two outs after the Cowgirls had turned a double play.
 
Nicole Christensen began the late rally with a single up the middle before moving to second on a Mallory Warner single.  Crouch then brought both of them home with her 3-run homer to left as the Mavs went up 8-0 before Mauser closed out the victory allowing just one walk in the bottom of the sixth.
 
The Mavs finished the game with nine hits and left just two runners on base.  The Cowgirls left six one.
 
Offensively, Haller and Christensen both had 2-for-3 games for the Mavs, who will continue the 4-game weekend set with another doubleheader against the Cowgirls on Sunday at 11 a.m.