LAKEWOOD, Colo.— The Colorado Mesa University softball team came up one out short of stopping national No. 9 Colorado Christian University's 10-game overall and 14-game Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference regular season winning streaks, squandering 6-0 and 7-5 leads in the first game before suffering a 16-6 mercy-rule defeat in the second game of a key RMAC doubleheader on Saturday here at All-Star Park.
 
The Mavericks, who saw their 8-game winning streak come to an end, are now 10-6 overall and 8-2 in RMAC play while the Cougars improved to 18-1 overall and to 10-0 in RMAC play this year. 
 
CCU had also won their last six RMAC games of the 2023 regular season and all three in the 2023 RMAC Tournament, which they hosted.  Two of the tournament wins, including the championship-clinching victory came over the Mavs, were the last and only one of two RMAC squads to beat the Cougars last season on Apr. 22 in Grand Junction.
 
CCU went 42-2 in RMAC play last year, finishing 57-6 overall, and has now won 19 straight games over conference foes since the Mavs' 9-7 win.
 
CCU and MSU Denver, which swept Regis just miles down the road in downtown Denver on Saturday, are now tied for the RMAC lead in 2024 at 10-0 while the Mavericks and Rangers sit third two games back in the RMAC standings heading into Sunday doubleheaders between the same teams. 
 
The Mavericks built a 6-0 lead through 4 ½ innings of the first game before the Cougars put up five runs in the bottom half of the fifth to close the gap to a single run.
 
The Mavs then added a run in the top of the seventh to go up 7-5 before the Cougars put two runners on via a walk and Sami Edwards single to begin the bottom of the seventh.  The Mavs then brought in Hannah Sattler to pitch in place of reliever Marisa Nehm.
 
Sattler was able to get the first two Cougars she faced to strike out before a walk loaded the bases.  Sattler then hit Camryn Quilling with a pitch to bring in pinch runner Elyse McMullin with CCU's sixth overall run.
 
Kenzie Middleton, the RMAC and D2CCA South Central Region Player of the Year in 2023, then delivered a 2-run single to plate Mia Stankiewicz and Edwards with the tying and winning run.
 
The Mavs had opened the scoring in the top of the third via a Miranda Pruitt solo home run in the top of the third and then added four runs in the top of the fourth, three of which came on a base-clearing Iliana Mendoza double after a Pruitt RBI walk.
 
The Mavs then extended the lead to 6-0 in the top of the fifth on a 2-out sole home run by Chloe Valdez.
 
However, the Cougars came roaring back in the bottom of the fifth as Middleton hit a 2-run home run at the start of the inning before RBI singles by Kaila Eastburn and Logan Menzies cut the Mavs' lead to 6-4.  Samaria Roope also added an RBI sacrifice ground out in CCU's 5-run inning.
 
The Mavs then left one runner on second in the top of the sixth before cashing in for a run in the seventh when lead-off hitter Myah Arrietta singled before moving to second on a passed ball and scoring on an Ava Fugate RBI double.
 
However, the Mavs could not score any more runs as the Cougars rallied for the win.
 
Preslee Christensen got the start in the circle for the Mavs and gave up just six hits and two runs while striking out four in four plus innings.  She was lifted for Nehm after surrendering the home run to Middleton.
 
The Mavs finished the game with seven hits, four of which were for extra-bases, from seven different hitters as Pruitt scored two runs while driving in two.
 
Hanna Espinoza picked up the win in relief of Eastburn, pitching the final two innings while giving up just three hits and one run.
 
Middleton went 3-for-5 with four RBIs from the lead-off spot for CCU while Edwards, Menzies and Roope each had 2-hit games in the 5-6-7 spots of the Cougar lineup.
 
The Mavs would go on to score three runs in the top of the first inning in Game 2, thanks to a Valdez 3-run home run, her second of the day and the third in a week for the Mavs.
 
However, Eastburn answered with a 2-run blast of her own in the bottom of the first before a Quilling ground-rule double highlighted a 3-run Cougar second inning as the hosts took a 5-3 lead.
 
Maverick freshman Cailynn Parsons did go on to deliver a 2-run single with two outs in the top of the third to tie the game at 5 before another ground-rule double helped the Cougars go up 6-5 on a Roope RBI single in the bottom of the third.
 
Middleton then added a grand slam later in the inning, one play after a costly Maverick error extended CCU's inning.
 
The Cougars led 11-5 at that point after the 6-run third and would go to add a 5-run fourth inning as Menzies and Middleton both hit home runs to give the Cougars a 16-5 lead.
 
The Mavs would score a single run in the top of the fifth on a Parsons sacrifice fly but could not stave off the Cougars' mercy-rule victory.
 
The Cougars recorded 14 hits in the game as Middleton went 3-for-4 with three runs and six RBIs while Eastburn and Roope both went 3-for-3 at the plate.
 
Valdez was 2-for-2 with three RBIs for the Mavs in the second game while Parsons drove the other three runs.
 
Sunday's doubleheader between the teams will begin at 11 a.m.