GRAND JUNCTION, Colo.— The Colorado Mesa University Mavericks bounced back from a tight 6-5 loss in the first game to win the second, 10-2 via the mercy rule as they split Sunday's doubleheader while winning the weekend series against visiting Black Hills State University here at the CMU Softball Stadium.
 
The Mavericks won three of the four games of the series, all via the mercy-rule, and outscored the Yellow Jackets 47-10 while moving to 8-8 overall and to 6-2 in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference play.
 
BHSU picked up its first win of the season in the first game of Sunday's twin-bill as pitcher Shayla Tuschen hit a game-winning home run in the top of the seventh while fanning 11 Mavericks. 
 
BHSU is now 1-7 overall and in the conference and snapped a 27-game slide to the Mavericks over the last ten years.
 
Game 1
 
The Mavericks took a 5-2 lead in back-and-forth game through four innings before the Yellow Jackets tied the game with a 3-run fifth, highlighted by an Ashlynn Pauwels 2-run homer.
 
Tuschen then hit her solo shot in the seventh as the 'Jackets pulled out the win.
 
Both teams finished with six hits in what was a pitcher's duel between Tuschen and CMU's Hannah Sattler in the early going.
 
After Tuschen allowed the only hit of the first two innings, the Yellow Jackets were able to score two unearned runs in the top of the third as two Maverick errors and a double steal allowed the visitors to take a 2-0 lead.
 
However, the Mavs responded with four runs of their own in the bottom of the third as a throwing error led to the first before Myah Arrieta hit a 2-run double just moments later.  She then scored on the very next pitch, a Sarah Jorissen single, before Tuschen (1-3) got out of the jam with two strikeouts and a foul out.
 
Ashley Bradford then hit her second homer in as many days to increase the Mavs' lead to 5-2 in the bottom of the fourth before a Tuschen RBI single followed by Pauwels' 2-run homer to left center, BHSU's first of the season, tied the game in the top of the fifth.
 
The Mavs then went down in order in both the fifth and the sixth innings before Tuschen's 1-out homer gave BHSU a 7-6 lead, an advantage the 'Jackets were able to hold on to thanks to a nice defensive play by right fielder Kayla Lee that proved to be large as Aislyn Sharp hit a 2-run double to keep the game alive, but only momentarily.
 
Arrieta went 2-for-4 to lead the Maverick attack as Sattler fell to 4-4 despite striking out five in a complete game 6-hitter.
 
Game 2
 
The Yellow Jackets continued the momentum early into the second game as Pauwels hit a 2-run homer in the top of the first to give her team the early lead.
 
However, the Mavs scored ten unanswered runs as Pruitt hit her fifth home run of the season to slice the deficit in half in the bottom of the second.
 
The Mavs then put up five runs on six hits in the third as Crouch delivered the biggest blow, a 3-run homer down the right field line that broke what was a 2-2 tie.  Meanwhile, Arrieta and Iliana Mendoza had RBI singles on both sides of Crouch's eighth homer of the season.
 
Leading 6-2 at the time, the Mavs then plated three more runs in the seventh as Ava Fugate and Brandi Haller both hit RBI infield singles.
 
The Mavs then added the game-clinching run in the bottom of the fifth as Aislyn Sharp was hit by a bouncing pitch and moving to third on a Jorissen single and deep Crouch flyout.  Sharp then scored on a walk-off wild pitch.
 
Freshman Kennedy Vis picked up the win for the Mavericks, tossing three innings of hitless relief of fellow freshman Marisa Nehm.  Vis is now 2-3.
 
The Mavs finished the second game with 12 hits as eight of the nine starters managed two hits while the other— Bradford— drew two walks.
 
Fugate was 2-for-3 while Arrieta and Crouch both went 2-for-4.
 
Up Next
 
The Mavericks will head out on the road for their next eight games, playing a 4-game set at Adams State, currently 3-15 overall and 0-7 in the RMAC, next Saturday and Sunday in Alamosa.