CONROE, Texas— A valiant comeback in their first game came up just a run short as the Colorado Mesa University Mavericks dropped two softball games to nationally-ranked opponents on Day 2 of the D-II First Pitch Invitational on Saturday here at Scrap Yard Sports.
The Mavericks, now 1-3 on the weekend and the young season, trailed No. 19 Rogers State 4-0 through 5 ½ innings before scoring one in the sixth and two in the bottom of the seventh, falling just short of the HIllcats, who improved to 2-1 with the 4-3 win.
CMU then dropped a 10-2 decision in six innings to eight-ranked and tournament host UT Tyler.
Maverick junior
Myah Arrieta recorded five hits throughout the day, going 3-for-3 in the UT Tyler game after going 2-for-4 with two runs scored and an RBI against Rogers State.
The Hillcats scored early with a lead-off homer from Lana Gass to begin the game. She then drew a bases-loaded walk in the top of the second.
Rogers State then went up with two sixth-inning runs, the first of which came on a Kaylee Lyon sacrifice fly. The second came on a successfully executed double steal in a first and third situation.
However, the Mavs came roaring back as Arrieta led the bottom half of the sixth inning with a double before moving to third on an
Ava Fugate sacrifice bunt and scoring on a
Chloe Valdez single up the middle.
Ally Distler also singled in that inning although the Mavericks left two runners on base.
After a 3-up, 3-down top of the seventh, the Mavericks quickly recorded two outs. However, sophomore
Bella Aragon hit a 2-out infield single before Arrieta recorded an RBI double to cut the deficit to 4-2.
Fugate then recorded an RBI single to score Arrieta before a potential game-tying at bat was thwarted when Valdez lined out to short.
Despite losing, the Mavericks out-hit the Hillcats, 8-6 as Fugate went 2-for-3 while freshman
Jackie Oster recorded her first career hit in her first start of her young career in right field.
Three Maverick pitchers worked in the game with
Marisa Nehm throwing four innings in her first appearance of the weekend. She allowed just three hits in the middle innings after
Christa Zagala, who fell to 1-1, allowed three hits and the first two runs in 1 2/3 innings.
Preslee Christensen then shutdown the Hillcats in the late stages, allowing just one base runner in her 1 1/3 innings.
Jade Sanders claimed the win for the Hillcats in four innings of relief of starter Sara Llamas-Howell, who allowed just one hit and one walk while striking out five before departing after the third inning.
The Mavs also fell behind against UT Tyler, which won 62 games last year en-route to a second straight trip to the NCAA Division II National Semifinals.
The Patriots (2-1) scored three runs in each of the first two innings to take a 6-0 lead before Distler registered and RBI single in the top of the third to put the Mavs on the board.
Arrieta then scored another unearned run in the top of the fifth as the Mavs sliced the deficit to 5-2.
However, Patriot first basewoman Audrey Escamilla quickly answered back with a home run to begin the bottom of the fifth as the hosts went ahead 7-2 before implementing the mercy rule with a 3-run, 3-hit sixth, aided by a Maverick error. Escamilla had the biggest highlight of the inning, a 1-out double.
The Patriots racked up 14 hits against four Maverick pitchers as Escamilla went 3-for-3.
Oster had two hits in support of the Arrieta-led Mavs, who recorded seven hit.
Genesis Armendariz struck out six Mavericks in a complete game win for UT Tyler while Christensen fell to 0-2 with the loss as CMU's starting pitcher.
The Mavericks will wrap up the tournament weekend with two more games on Sunday, when they will play Texas A&M International and Angelo State at 12:15 and 2:30 p.m. CST (11:15 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Mountain), respectively.
