COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Have a day, Chloe Valdez.
The Colorado Mesa junior second baseman hit three home runs Sunday, including one to break a ninth-inning tie as the Mavericks swept a doubleheader at CU-Colorado Springs, 17-14 and 8-0.
With the hitters slugging it out in the opening game, Christa Zagala shut down the Mountain Lions in the second with a complete-game shutout.
The Mavericks (13-7, 11-3 RMAC) moved to 89-35 all-time against UCCS, winning 13 in a row and 35 of the past 37 meetings.
Valdez finished the day going 6 for 8 with three home runs and six RBI, Ally Distler was 5 for 9 with five RBI and two home runs, and Miranda Pruitt hit three home runs and drove in six runs.
Shortstop Myah Arrieta was stellar defensively with a dozen assists in the doubleheader, including eight in the opener.
Game 1
Valdez ripped a leadoff home run in the top of the ninth and Pruitt added a two-run insurance shot to allow the Mavericks to win in extra innings.
Colorado Mesa were six defensive outs away from a run-rule win, leading 14-4 entering the bottom of the fourth inning. The Mountain Lions proceeded to score 10 straight runs, seven in the fourth and three more in the sixth, to avoid ending the game early.
The Mavericks, meanwhile, who pushed across six runs in the first inning and scored in each of the first four, were blanked from the fifth through the eighth innings.
A three-run home run by the Mountain Lions' Hailey Busshart in the bottom of the sixth eventually pushed the game to extras, and the Mavericks took advantage of an interference call against UCCS in the bottom of the eighth.
With runners at first and second, Kelsey Bell attempted to bunt them over. She was called out, however, when it appeared she made contact with the ball in fair territory in front of the plate. After a discussion, the umpires sent the runners back to first and second, and with one out, Maddie Unrein flied out to deep left, which would have scored the winning run. Instead, UCCS had runners at second and third with two out and Alyssa Gutierrez grounded out to Arrieta at short, giving the Mavericks the chance they needed in the ninth.
Valdez hit her fifth home run of the season to center field break the tie, and Makayla Westmoreland drew a walk. She was bunted to second, and after a visit to the mound, UCCS elected to pitch to Pruitt, who turned on a pitch and hit her second home run of the day and eighth of the season to deep left field.
Hannah Sattler induced three straight groundouts to Arrieta for the win.
Valdez got CMU going with a two-run double in the first inning, hit a two-run home run in the second and finished the first game 4 for 5 with five RBI and scored three runs.
Pruitt, who hit a no-doubter home run in the fourth inning, drove in four runs with her two hits, and Ally Distler went 4 for 6 with three RBI, including a two-run home run in the third. Iliana Mendoza had three hits and drove in two as part of CMU's 19-hit attack. Seven of those hits were doubles — Distler was a triple away from hitting for the cycle. Every starter had at least one hit.
Sattler (2-2), the third CMU pitcher of the game, got the win. Preslee Christensen gave up six runs on eight hits, walked three and struck out three in the first 3 1/3 innings, and Marisa Nehm gave up three runs on five hits after coming on in relief with one out in the fourth.
Sattler allowed three runs on five hits over the final five innings, with one strikeout.
Game 2
After all the hitting in the opener, which lasted just shy of three hours, Zagala (4-2) took charge in the second game. She scattered three hits, didn't walk a batter and struck out three. Only one runner reached second, with Zagala retiring the next five batters to preserve the shutout.
A four-run first inning started with Distler hitting a two-run home run to left, her sixth of the season. Valdez followed with a double, took third on a wild pitch and came home on Pruitt's RMAC-leading ninth home run of the season, a shot to left-center.
Ava Fugate added an RBI double in the second and with two out, Valdez hit her third home run of the day and sixth of the season for a 7-0 lead.
An RBI double in the fifth by Bella Aragon made it 8-0, and all that was left was for Zagala to finish it out in the bottom of the fifth. A fly ball, strikeout and groundout gave the Mavericks the run-rule win.
The Mavericks, who play UCCS in another doubleheader starting at 11 a.m. Monday, had 10 hits in the second game, with Valdez going 2 for 3. She, Distler and Pruitt each drove in two runs.
