TYLER, Texas— Despite a go-ahead home run from Chloe Valdez and a solid relief pitching stint from Hannah Sattler, the Colorado Mesa University Maverick softball team was held to just two hits in a 3-1 defeat at the hands of Colorado Christian University in both teams' opening game of the NCAA Division II South Central Regional Tournament here at UT Tyler's Irwin Field on Thursday afternoon.
 
The Mavericks, now 44-10 overall, will next play St. Mary's in an elimination game on Friday at 2:30 p.m. CDT (1:30 p.m. Mountain).  The winner will then move on to place in another elimination game at 5 p.m. CDT (4 p.m.) against the loser of Game 3 between UT Tyler and Colorado Christian with the winner of that contest moving into Saturday's championship game of the double-elimination tournament.
 
All four runs in Thursday's game, which featured the top two scoring teams in all of Division II softball, were scored in the second inning as Valdez hit a leadoff home run to give the Mavs a 1-0 lead.
 
However, the Cougars stormed back in the bottom half of the inning as six straight Cougars reached base via two walks, a hit batsman and three singles, which proved to be the difference.
 
Sattler, who threw 5 2/3 innings came in place of starter Preslee Christensen, during that barrage and walked her first batter before getting a fielder's choice and fly out to get the Mavericks out of the inning.  She then spread five hits over the remaining innings and was not charged with any runs.

However, the Mavericks could not get much going offensively against the Cougars (50-8) and pitcher Elyse McMullin.
 
CMU freshman third baseman Cailynn Parsons reached on an error to begin the third and moved to second on a ground out but was later stranded there.
 
Iliana Mendoza then recorded a 2-out single in the fourth but was ruled out for leaving first base early on the next play.
 
McMullin then retired the next nine Mavericks she faced to move to 3-3 with her complete game victory.
 
The Cougars finished with nine hits as Sami Edwards went 2-for-2 with a walk while Kayla Middleton delivered a 2-run single in the bottom of the second, which proved to be the game-winning hit.
 
Tournament host UT Tyler won the first game of the tournament, 5-2 over St. Mary's scoring five runs in the bottom of the third before the Rattlers inched back with single tallies in the fifth and sixth innings.