LAKEWOOD, Colo.— Ashley Bradford, Aislyn Sharp and Miranda Pruitt all hit home runs while Sharp turned a game-inning double play at the hot corner as the Colorado Mesa University Mavericks held on for a 4-2 win in the opening game of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Tournament on Thursday morning here at All-Star Park.
 
Bradford's 2-run shot in the bottom of the third followed by back-to-back shots from Sharp and Pruitt in the fourth gave the Mavericks a 2-0 lead before Mines sliced the lead in half with a 2-run home run by Aubree Karraker in the top of the fifth.
 
CMU junior pitcher Hannah Sattler then settled down and retired five of the next six batters as the Mavs cruised into the final inning up by two runs.
 
Mines then put two runners on with just one out before Kendall Aragon hit a ground ball to Sharp at third base, who stepped on the bag before throwing across the diamond to clinch the win.
 
The victory moved the Mavs to 29-21 overall and advanced them to play top-seeded and tournament host Colorado Christian at 2 p.m. in the third game of the tournament.
 
Mines falls into Friday's elimination bracket and is now 25-25 overall. 
 
The two teams had split a doubleheader last Saturday to close out the regular season.
 
Both teams finished with six hits in the quickly-paced game that lasted just 85 minutes. 
 
However, the Mavericks left just two runners on base while the Orediggers stranded five.
 
Pruitt went 2-for-3 while Brandi Haller and Makayla Westmoreland also had hits.  Westmoreland's was a double to begin the bottom of the third.
 
After two popouts failed to move her over, Bradford delivered the key 2-run homer to right to give the Mavs the lead.
 
Sharp and Pruitt's home runs then began the fourth and proved to be enough for the Mavs and Sattler to earn the win.
 
Sattler improved to 15-11 and threw just 56 pitches as she allowed just two walks, five singles and the one mistake to Karraker while relying on the Mavs' flawless defense.
 
Sadriena Rodriguez, who 1-hit the Mavs just five days ago on the final day of the regular season, took the loss for Mines to fall to 14-3 and departed after the fourth-inning home runs.