GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. – The No. 2 Colorado Mesa baseball team slugged out 16 hits including eight extra base-hits in a 17-5 mercy-rule shortened game over the Adams State Grizzlies on Thursday evening in the annual Fireworks game with a 'May the Fourth be with you' theme at Suplizio Field in front of 2,038 fans.
 
The Mavericks began the game flat and fell behind 5-0 after an inning and a half. They got on the board in the second after back-to-back doubles from Caleb Thomason and Declan Wiesner to make it 5-2.
 
Colorado Mesa was fully awake in the third inning as they plated 12 runs in the third inning…all coming with two outs in the inning. The Mavericks sent 17 batters to the plate in the inning that included eight straight hits with a two-run home run by Julian Boyd. That made it 14-5 after three innings of play.
 
Wiesner finished the game 3-for-4 with three runs scored and five runs driven in with two doubles and a triple while Thomason went 3-for-3 with a run scored and four runs driven in. Conrad Villafuerte finished with 2-for-3 with two runs scored, a double and a triple.
 
Jacob Rhoades earned the win on the mound after fighting his way through the first two innings. Rhoades (5-2) allowed five runs (four earned) on five hits, walked four and struck out five while throwing 108 pitches.
 
The Mavericks and Grizzlies will continue their series with a doubleheader beginning at 3:30pm at The Diamond at the Bus Bergman Sports Complex.