GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. – The No. 11 Colorado Mesa baseball team received strong pitching on the mound and several timely hits at the plate in an 11-0 win over the visiting New Mexico Highlands Cowboys on Sunday (Apr. 28) afternoon at The Diamond.
 
Junior Jordan Pace earned the start on the mound and was outstanding in his second start of the season. He pitched five shutout innings and allowed just three hits and struck out four to earn his first win of the season. At one point, he retired the final five batters he faced in a row and six of his final seven.
 
Four different relievers came in and maintained the shutout. They combined to allow three hits and struck out four batters in the final four innings of the game.
 
The Maverick offense came alive and gave the staff plenty of run support in the finale. They used four round trippers and four more doubles to produce their 11 runs on the day.
 
After garnering a 2-0 lead in the first, Kolby Felix homered in the third for his tenth of the season. Three batters later, TJ Rheem extended the lead with a two-run double to left center field to make it 5-0 after three complete innings.
 
Senior Jonathan Gonzalez homered in the fourth for his sixth of the season and gave the Mavericks a 6-0 lead at the time. Later in the inning, Christos Stefanos doubled down the third base line that brought around Paul Schoenfeld and extended the Maverick lead to 7-0 after four complete innings.
 
Senior Braden Winget had an RBI double in the fifth inning that scored Rheem and he would come around to score later in the inning on an awkward play. Schoenfeld had an infield chopper to the first baseman who looked like he was going to come home for the out but bobbled the ball and everyone was safe on the play. That made it 9-0 Colorado Mesa after five.
 
The Mavericks got two more home runs in the sixth and seventh innings. Brent Renteria blasted his fourth home run of the season in the sixth while Tyler Glowacki hit his first home run as a Maverick in the seventh inning. Both came as pinch hitters.
 
Colorado Mesa will be out on the road for their final weekend of the season when they travel to Adams State. Series is set to begin on Thursday in Alamosa.