LAKEWOOD, Colo.— After winning their first game of the day, the Colorado Mesa University Maverick softball team came up on the short end of a 2-0 pitcher's duel, falling to top seeded and national poll No. 8 Colorado Christian University on Friday in the second round of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Tournament here at All Star Park.
The Mavs, now 29-22 overall, and Cougars (53-4) both managed three hits although the Cougars got the offense they needed from their first hitter as lead-off Sami Edwards hit a home run to begin the bottom of the first. The Cougars then added an unearned insurance run on an error in the bottom of the sixth.
Freshman
Bella Aragon and
Marisa Nehm led the Mavs as Aragon, who got the start at the designated player went 2-for-3 in the two hole of the lineup while Nehm allowed just three hits, one earned run and two walks in a complete game effort from inside the circle. She fell to 6-2 with the loss.
RMAC Pitcher of the Year Kali Crandall also went the distance for the Cougars, striking out six Mavericks while allowing just one walk.
The Mavs had their chances, especially in the late innings as Aragon and
Makayla Westmoreland, another CMU freshman, both hit lead-off singles in the fourth and sixth innings. However, they were both stranded as Crandall retired the next three Maverick hitters in each inning.
CMU then put together its best rally in the top of the seventh as
Aislyn Sharp drew a walk before
Miranda Pruitt and
Brandi Haller were both hit by pitches to load the bases with just one out.
However, Crandall turned a 1-2-3 double play as the Cougars held on to the win and the shutout.
The fourth-seeded Mavericks now face elimination and will take on No. 6 seed Chadron State in Game 5 of the tournament, an elimination game, on Friday morning at 9 a.m. The winner will advance to play the winner of the other elimination game between Regis and the Colorado School of Mines at 4:30 p.m.
The winner of that game will then need to win three times on Saturday in order to take the tournament title and the conference's automatic berth into the NCAA Division II Tournament.
