Box Score GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. – Colorado Mesa men's lacrosse took the most anticipated game on its RMAC schedule and turned it into a victory lap.

The Mavericks jumped out to an 8-0 lead, went on a 12-0 run in the second half and generally dismantled Westminster in a rematch of last season's RMAC Tournament final, defeating the Griffins 23-8 in CMU's home and conference opener.

The 15-goal margin of victory is the largest in any of the 20 total matchups between the two schools, which have met in all six all-time RMAC Tournament finals and split all six RMAC regular season championships. Along the way, AJ Switzer had a historic game and Jed Brummett cemented a historic career while scoring a hat trick alongside his brother, JJ Brummett.

Jed Brummett's three goals all came in the third quarter. In the process, he became the third ever Colorado Mesa lacrosse player with over 100 career goals. Brummett, a redshirt junior, now has 101 career goals and counting and trails only Steve Brandenburg (145) and Jack Griffin (135) on the CMU all-time scoring list. With his three goals today, Brummett now has 41 goals this season, tying Reece Callies for the fourth most single-season goals in program history.

Switzer starred offensively for Colorado Mesa, scoring a team-high four goals and tying the CMU program record for the second time this season with five assists. Switzer's nine points are the highest single-game total of any RMAC player in 2023 and the third-highest in program history, trailing Jack Griffin's 15 and Jason Kauo's 10 from the 2019 season.

Mac Bayless starred defensively for the Mavs, making his first start of the season in goal and recorded eight saves while allowing just four goals, good for a .667 save percentage. Bayless played 49 minutes before Calvin Doucette came on in relief and allowed the final four goals in 10 and a half minutes.

JJ Brummett had his hat trick wrapped up in the first quarter, netting three of CMU's first four goals. Hunter Holcomb added five points with two goals and three assists, Drew Eickelman and Philip Petersen had two goals and two assists each and Micah Payton also scored twice for the Mavs.

The Maverick defense held Westminster scoreless nearly the first 25 minutes of game time, as the Griffins did not find the net until there was 5:14 left in the first half. Westminster scored the final three goals of the first half to make it 8-3 heading into halftime, but the Mavericks came out with a vengeance in the second half.

Colorado Mesa outscored the Griffins 10-0 in the third quarter and recorded an overall 12-0 run from the start of the third quarter until 10:51 left in the fourth quarter. Switzer recorded a point on six of the 12 goals in that stretch.

After Jed Brummett got on the board with 9:12 remaining in the third to open the second-half scoring, Switzer scored twice with assists from James Steinke and Mike Edwards. Steinke had two assists in his first home game since becoming the program's all-time career leader in that category on the road against Palm Beach Atlantic while Edwards tallied the very first assist of his career setting up Switzer.

Switzer then returned to becoming the playmaker by setting up Jed Brummett for his 40^th goal of the season and 100^th of his career with 8:23 to go in the third. Head coach Troy Moyer called a celebratory timeout for Brummett as a near capacity crowd at Community Hospital Unity Field gave Brummett a raucous ovation.

The Mavericks continued to score even as they went deeper and deeper into the bench. Defenseman Jake Eickelman journeyed into the offensive zone for his first goal of the season and second of his 46-game career. In addition to his goal, Jake Eickelman had a team-high seven ground balls. Micah Payton recorded a pair of goals 50 seconds apart to give him three for the season and Ethan Points scored his fourth of the season, with Philip Petersen assisting on two of those three goals.

As the third quarter turned to the fourth quarter, the Mavericks' run of dominance continued and Switzer began to light up the field with his passing ability. Switzer assisted on three consecutive CMU goals, dishing to Hunter Holcomb and Jed Brummett within the final 90 seconds of the third and Drew Eickelman 90 seconds into the fourth quarter. After James Steinke recorded an unassisted goal with 12:08 left in the game, CMU had scored 12 unanswered goals and held a commanding 20-3 lead.

The Griffins made things a bit more respectable with a mini 4-0 run late, but freshman Matt Carresi's first collegiate goal capped the scoring with 24 seconds left to reach the final total of 23-8. Carresi was one of several freshmen to make their collegiate debuts at home on Saturday, a list that also included Erich Petersen, Ben Kester, Cole Skillington, Kanyan Rhodes and Trey Towndrow. Rhodes, a native of Stanwood, Washington, saw the most extended action of any debutant, going 4-for-7 on faceoff wins and scooping four ground balls.

The Mavericks now sit at 9-2 overall and 1-0 in the RMAC, tied for first with CSU Pueblo after the ThunderWolves defeated Adams State 11-6 on Saturday. Colorado Mesa has three straight road games, starting with Adams State and Pueblo on April 14 and 16 before the return trip to Westminster on April 23 and the final two home games against CSU Pueblo and Adams State on April 28 and 30.