GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. - The #17 Colorado Mesa baseball team flexed their muscles from the first pitch in a 28-9 win over St. Edward's in the final of the NCAA South Central Region 2 Tournament on Saturday (May 21) afternoon at The Diamond at the Bus Bergman Sports Complex.
 
Senior Matthew Turner led the game off with a towering home run to left center field to give the Mavericks a 1-0 lead after one batter. The home run was Turner's ninth of the season and the Mavericks were not done in the inning.
 
Fellow senior Jordan Stubbings stepped to the plate with the bases jammed full of Mavericks. He laced a 1-0 pitch down the left field line for a grand slam and a 5-0 Maverick lead. It was his sixth home run of the season, and he wouldn't be done on the day.
 
Turner came back up in the first inning and delivered a RBI single through the left side to make it 6-0 before the Hilltoppers even stepped to the plate.
 
Stubbings came back up in the third inning and belted his second home run of the game as a part of a seven-run third inning that extended the lead to 13-1
 
Colorado Mesa would go onto plate 11 runs in the fifth inning, three runs in the seventh and one in the eighth.
 
Stubbings finished the game 4-for-5 with five runs scored and a career-high eight runs driven in while teammate Chase Hamilton was 4-for-6 with two runs scored and two runs driven in.
 
Haydn McGeary led the way in hits with a 5-for-7 game with three runs scored and five runs driven in. He hit his national collegiate leading 31^st home run of the season in the third inning.
 
Seven of the nine starters in the lineup recorded three or more hits.
 
Senior Dave Henderson got the start on the mound for the Mavericks and gave them what they needed. Henderson allowed two runs on four hits, walked three and struck out three in three innings of work.
 
He gave way to his bullpen with Cole Seward coming in first. Seward earned the win after going three innings and allowing four runs (three earned) on seven hits and struck out two.
 
Jacob Rhoades and Austin Lorenz came in to throw the final three innings.
 
Colorado Mesa improves their record to 42-14 on the season while St. Edward's season ends with a 32-25 mark.
 
The Mavericks will head to the Lone Star State next weekend for a heavyweight showdown with Angelo State for the NCAA South Central Super Region Tournament. The series is scheduled to begin on Friday at Foster Field with a time yet to be determined.