GRAND JUNCTION, Colo.— Myah Arrieta hit three home runs while Iliana Mendoza and Chloe Valdez both added two as the Colorado Mesa University Mavericks continued to overpower New Mexico Highlands University on Friday, completing their fourth straight Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference series sweep with 12-1 and 10-2 mercy-rule wins at the CMU Softball Stadium.
 
The Mavs hit eight home runs throughout the pair of 5-inning games on Friday and finished the 4-game series with 15 while extending their winning streak to 17 consecutive games.  The Mavericks have won the last nine games via the mercy rule and are now 27-7 overall and 25-3 in RMAC play.
 
They have hit 42 home runs in those nine games alone, doubling their season-long total to 84 in the process.
 
NMHU, held to just five hits in the doubleheader, and nine in the series fell to 11-20 overall and to 7-19 in RMAC play.
 
CMU had recorded 9-0 and 9-1 victories on Thursday afternoon.
 
Arrieta, the reigning RMAC and National Player or the Week, hit five home runs in the series and has smashed 13 in the last eight days and eight games, hitting at least one in each.  She now has 20 on the campaign and moved to within one of Kelly Adams' 23-year school record of 21 with still 16 regular season games remaining on the Mavericks' schedule plus the conference and possible national tournament to go.
 
She had two home runs in the second game on Friday as did Mendoza.  Valdez added one in each of Friday's wins while Ally Distler added her 12^th of the campaign in Friday's first game.
 
Meanwhile, the Mavs continued to receive some great pitching efforts as three different Maverick hitters surrendered just five hits and two earned runs while fanning 12 Cowgirls throughout Friday's doubleheader sweep.
 
Christa Zagala allowed just one hit and one run while striking out six Cowgirls in her four innings of work in the first game to earn the win while improving to 7-2.  Preslee Christen then followed a 2-hit Thursday shoutout with another strong four innings of work to improve to 9-3.  She allowed just three hits and one earned run on Friday.
 
Marisa Nehm pitched the fifth inning of both games allowing just one hit in her two total innings of relief work.
 
The pitchers received plenty of run support from the Maverick offense, which combined for 22 hits, 16 of which went for extra-bases.
 
Arrieta was 5-for-6 with six RBIs, adding a double to her 3-home run day while Mendoza went 3-for-5 with five RBIs, including a triple during the doubleheader.  Valdez also had a double and was 4-for-5 with four RBIs.
 
Arrieta led off both games with home runs, something she did three times in the series as the Mavs played from the lead throughout.
 
The Mavs wasted little time in extending the lead as Valdez hit a 2-run shot in the bottom of the second in the first game to put CMU ahead 3-0.  They then exploded for eight runs on six extra-base hits, as nine Mavericks contributed positively to the inning, which included a 2-run home run by Distler. That extended the Mavs cushion to 12-0.
 
The Cowgirls then drew back-to-back walks to begin the fourth as Karla Beegas drove in their lone run with a single up the middle.
 
However, the run would be far too little, too late as Nehm retired all three Cowgirls she faced on groundouts in the fifth to close out the victory.
 
Arrieta then hit another lead-off home run in the bottom of the first inning of the second game before extending the lead to 3-0 in the bottom of the third on Mendoza's first home run of the game, a 2-run shot to right center.
 
The Cowgirls then scored two runs on two hits, a walk and a passed ball to pull within 3-2 while swinging the momentum in their favor in the top of the fourth.
 
However, the Mavs answered back as freshman No. 8 hitter Emma Roach walked before No. 9 hole and right fielder Bella Aragon slapped a single through the middle setting up Arrieta, for a deep 3-run home run over the scoreboard, which put CMU ahead 6-2 through four.
 
Battling through some moderate rain in the fifth, Nehm gave up just one hit after coming on to replace Christensen.
 
The Mavs then went to work in the bottom of the fifth as Mendoza hit another 2-run homer followed immediately by Valdez's second of the day as CMU went ahead 9-2 without any outs in the bottom of the fifth.
 
Makayla Westmoreland then doubled off relief pitcher Jazmyn Griego.  After Roach walked again, Aragon then laced a double down the left field line as Westmoreland trotted home with the mercy-rule clinching run.
 
The Mavs have won 32 consecutive games over the Cowgirls since 2015 and are a perfect 12-0 at home this season,  a run they will look continue when they host Chadron State College in a 4-game series next Saturday and Sunday (Apr. 6-7).  The Eagles have lost 13 straight games and are 5-29 overall and 5-19 in RMAC play after being swept at home by eighth-ranked Colorado Christian this week.