COLORADO SPRINGS — The sun made an appearance Sunday in Colorado Springs, just in time for the No. 11 Mavericks to split a doubleheader with CU-Colorado Springs at Mountain Lion Park.
Colorado Mesa broke a 4-4 tie with a three-run third inning in the opening game to win 8-5, but played from behind the entire way in the final game of the series, losing 8-7.
The Mavericks (29-13, 19-5 RMAC) are five games up in the loss column on MSU Denver (16-10), which has six conference games remaining, including two Monday against Colorado Christian. CMU has eight conference games to play, beginning Friday night against New Mexico Highlands in the annual Fireworks Night game at Suplizio Field.
Regis (13-9) is third, with Colorado School of Mines and Adams State tied for fourth at 14-10.
Paul Schoenfeld went 3 for 5 with a home run and drove in four runs in the first game of the day and added two more RBI in the second.
Back-to-back doubles in the first inning by Ethan Nunez and Christos Stefanos followed Schoenfeld's one-out bunt single to give CMU a 1-0 run. Jonathan Gonzalez beat out an infield single for another run, and Schoenfeld hit his third home run of the season with one out in the second to make it 4-0.
After UCCS tied the game in the bottom of the second, Braden Winget led off the third with a double down the left-field line. Declan Wiesner was hit by a pitch and Robert Sharrar worked a one-out walk before a wild pitch scored Winget for a 5-4 lead.
Schoenfeld's two-run single put the Mavs up three runs, and junior left-hander Caleb Ruter battled through five innings, allowing five runs on 10 hits. He struck out three for his second win of the season.
Ethan Voss picked up his second save, allowing only two hits and striking out five over the final four innings. The two CMU pitchers did not walk a batter.
The second game of the day was the 7-inning contest postponed from Saturday because of weather conditions.
A three-run second inning put CMU in a hole early and the Mavericks could never even the score. They scored two in the top of the third to cut it to 3-2, but UCCS went up 6-2 in the bottom of the inning.
Sharrar singled in one run and a groundout by Schoenfeld produced another made it 6-4. Down 7-4 in the fifth, Winget doubled home Gonzalez, and another run came home on a Schoenfeld sacrifice fly in the sixth to get the Mavs within one run again, 7-6.
Caleb Stubbings, the younger brother of former Maverick first baseman Jordan Stubbings, singled home a run in the sixth — he hit a home run earlier in the game — for what proved to be the winning run.
Joe McDermott, the younger brother of former CMU pitcher JR McDermott, got the win for UCCS, allowing four runs on five hits in his four-inning start.
Mesa had one more rally in the seventh, with Gonzalez, who went 3 for 5, leading off with a double down the left-field line and taking third on a fly ball by Winget. Pinch-hitter Caleb Thomason grounded out, scoring Gonzalez, but Kyle Miller struck out.
Tristan Wolf (1-2) took the loss, giving up six runs on eight hits in 2 2/3 innings and JJ Almeda allowed two runs over the next 2 1/3 innings.
Friday's Fireworks Night opens the final regular-season homestand for the Mavericks, who are seeking to clinch their 12th straight RMAC title and the right to host the conference tournament next month.
