GRAND JUNCTION, Colo.— The Colorado Mesa University softball team hit their 100^th home run of the season in the bottom of the seventh inning, but came up short for the second time in three days against the MSU Denver Roadrunners, who advanced to the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Tournament Championship game with a 3-1 Game 9 victory on Saturday afternoon at the CMU Softball Stadium.
 
The Mavericks had trailed 3-0 since the second inning after the Roadrunners' Ari Valdez hit a 3-run homer and were held to just three hits through the opening six innings before pinch hitter Ellie Smith hit the historic home run on a 3-2 count with two outs.
 
Lauren Wedman then followed with a double to right center before MSU Denver reliever Julia Heitz got a ground out to earn the save.
 
Roadrunner starter Sarah Norton was solid, giving up just five hits and two walks in 6 2/3 innings of work before giving way to Heitz after the last-gasp efforts of the Mavericks, who avoided being shutout by an RMAC opponent for the first time this season thanks to Smith's towering home run, fell short.
 
CMU starting pitcher Shea Mauser was also solid, minus the one home run to Valdez.  Mauser struck out seven Roadrunners and surrendered just seven hits and one walk while her season-long ERA moved to 1.99.
 
The Mavericks fell to 45-9 and must now await Monday morning's NCAA Division II Tournament selection show to see if they will be able to continue their season with one of the six at-large selections from the South Central Region.  The Mavericks came into the RMAC tournament ranked eighth in the South Central Region region but must pass at least one Lone Star Conference squad in the regional rankings as either tenth-ranked Colorado Christian or un-ranked MSU Denver will claim the RMAC's automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament with a RMAC Tournament championship.
 
If the Mavericks, who went 2-2 in the RMAC Tournament, are not selected, 2022 will still go down as a historic season. 
 
With their 100^th home run, the Mavericks became just the eighth team in NCAA Division II history to reach the century mark.
 
CMU also holds a team ERA of 1.63, well under the school-record of 2.08, set 20 years ago in 2002.
 
Fifth-year senior Paige Adair would also break the individual single-season career record of 1.62, set in 2003 by Stacy Dennis.  Adair, who came into the week leading the country in hits allowed per seven innings, has a 1.30 ERA.
 
Smith also sits ahead of Dennis with a mark of 1.59.
 
The Mavericks also won their sixth consecutive RMAC regular season title and reached the 45-win mark for the fourth straight complete, non-COVID affected season.