GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. – The No. 23 Colorado Mesa baseball team completed the four-game sweep and ran their win streak to 11 games on Saturday (Mar. 23) afternoon at The Diamond at the Bus Bergman Sports Complex.
In the first game of the doubleheader,
Christos Stefanos and
Kyle Miller each hit two home runs to lead Colorado Mesa to a 20-7 in a seven inning, mercy rule shortened game. The Mavericks had 13 of their 17 hits go for extra bases.
Christos Stefanos hit a pair of home runs which helped give the Mavericks the lead for good. His first home run came in the fifth inning and was a two-run shot that gave the Mavericks an 8-7 lead at the time.
Stefanos' second home run of the game came an inning later and extended the lead to 11-7 after a three-run homer to left field. The home runs for the junior were his fifth and sixth home runs of the season as he finished 3-for-5 with three runs scored and four runs driven in.
Kyle Miller had a pair of important home runs in the game with his first coming in the fourth inning with the Mavericks trailing 6-2. The Pueblo, Colo. native hit a grand slam that knotted the game at 6-6. Miller sent a 1-0 pitch deep over the netting in left field for his first collegiate home run.
Miller was also the last batter of the game as he launched a two-run home run to left center field to end the game due to the 12-run mercy rule. He finished the game 4-for-5 with eight runs driven in, a career-high.
Ethan Voss earned the win on the mound for the Mavericks as he had another solid performance in a relief role. Voss (2-1) allowed one run on five hits, walked two and struck out a season-high nine batters. He was able to strike out the side in the fourth and kept the Cougar batters at bay as the Maverick captured the lead.
In the series finale, the two teams locked horns in a bit of a pitcher's dual compared to the previous matchups on the weekend. This dual went the way of the Mavericks and lefty
Caleb Ruter in a 9-1 win.
Ruter was solid in his first start of the season as he went five innings and allowed one run on six hits walked one and struck out six to pick up the win.
Jordan Pace and
Liam Hohenstein combined to pitch the final two innings and allowed two hits and struck out one.
Once again, the Mavericks used the long ball to take the lead. After trailing 1-0 in the third,
Jonathan Gonzalez blasted a three-run home run to left center field to take the only lead the Mavericks would need. He finished the game 3-for-4 with two runs scored and four runs driven in. In the bottom of the sixth, he would deliver some insurance with a run-scoring double.
Gonzalez' teammate at the top of the lineup did most of the other damage in the game.
Robert Sharrar hit a two-run home run to right center to give the Mavericks a 5-1 lead in the game. Then again in the sixth inning he hit a two-run double to make it 8-1. The senior finished the game 3-for-4 with three runs scored and four runs driven in.
Colorado Mesa will be back in action next week when they travel to take on the Regis Rangers for four games.
