CONROE, Texas— The Colorado Mesa University softball team was able to come from four runs behind to win the first game but came up just one run shy of another potential 7-run comeback in the second as the Mavericks split their final two games of the D-II First Pitch Invitational on Sunday here at Scrap Yard Sports.
The Mavericks, who went 2-4 throughout the season-opening weekend, trailed Texas A&M International by a 4-0 margin through 4 ½ innings but scored one run in the fifth and four more in the bottom of the sixth to eventually steal a 5-4 win over the Dustdevils, who fell to 2-3 at the time.
The Mavs then fell behind 7-0 to Angelo State heading to the bottom of the fifth.
Again, CMU would score a single run in the bottom of the to cut the gap before two freshmen hit their first career homeruns as part of a 5-run sixth but came up one run shy leaving a potential game-tying run on second base in the seventh as the Rambelles closed out the weekend with a 5-1 mark.
The Dustdevils recorded six of their ten 10 hits in a 4-run third inning as the Mavs managed just one through three innings before hitting two doubles in the bottom of the fourth, the first of which was wiped out as
Ava Fugate was caught trying to extend her hit into a triple before
Chloe Valdez hit a second double and was stranded.
However, the Mavs did cash in for a run in the fifth as
Miranda Pruitt hit CMU's first home run of the season.
The Mavs then went to work in the sixth as
Myah Arrieta hit a triple before scoring on a Fugate bunt single. An error and
Ally Distler single then cut the deficit to 4-3. Several plays later, freshman
Cailynn Parsons tied the game with an RBI single to right that scored Valdez.
Allison Lindsay then drove in the winning run on a fielder's choice that allowed Distler to score.
Moments later and down to their final out, the Dustdevils put runners on second and third base thanks to a Victoria Gonzalez double before Maverick sophomore
Marisa Nehm got a game-ending groundout as the Mavs pulled out the win.
Nehm threw 4 2/3 innings in relief of
Christa Zagala and allowed just one run to earn the pitching victory.
Offensively, Fugate, Valdez and Parsons all went 2-for-3 as the Mavs recorded nine hits, five of which went for extra bases.
The storyline was similar against Angelo State as the Belles scored two runs in the second, two more in the third and three in the fifth to build a 7-0 lead. Four of those runs were unearned as the Mavs committed four errors.
However, the Mavs took advantage of errors as well, scoring their first run in the bottom of the fifth on an
Iliana Mendoza sacrifice fly after breaking up a potential no-hit bid.
Trailing 7-1 through five innings, the Mavericks got out of a mini-jam in the top of the sixth before score five runs on four hits in the bottom of the sixth to close the gap to a single run. Parsons and
Jackie Oster both hit home runs in the inning, which also featured doubles from veterans Arrieta and
Ally Distler.
The Mavs then turned a double play in the top of the seventh before Arrieta reached on a 1-out error in the bottom half of the seventh. She then moved to second on a passed ball but could advance no further as Rambelle pitcher Christina Floyd re-entered to strike out Fugate and Valdez to close out the win.
Floyd had 10 strikeouts in 6 1/3 total innings and improved to 4-0 while the Mavericks managed just five hits. However, four of those went for extra bases.
Angelo State had ten hits against three Maverick pitchers, although eight of those hits were singles.
The Mavericks will take next weekend off before beginning Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference play with a 4-game series at Fort Lewis on Feb. 17-18.
