NAMPA, Idaho – The No. 24 Colorado Mesa baseball team dropped both halves of the doubleheader in the series finale with Northwest Nazarene on Saturday (Feb. 22) afternoon at Vail Field.
 
Colorado Mesa allowed five runs in the second inning and couldn't complete the comeback in a 7-5 setback in the day's first game. The Nighthawks scored five runs in the second, one run in the sixth and a run in the seventh while the Mavericks comeback started in the sixth inning as they plated three runs in the inning and two more in the ninth.
 
Joey Blank got the scoring going in the sixth with a sacrifice fly to center that scored Keegan Landis while Max Valdez followed with an RBI single up the middle that brought home Paul Schoenfeld. A batter later, Christos Stefanos doubled to left center to bring home Valdez.
 
Kolby Felix laced a two-run single to left field in the ninth that brought home Schoenfeld and Landis to close out the Mavericks scoring plays in game one.
 
Stefanos finished the game 4-for-5 while Schoenfeld went 3-for-5 with two runs scored.
 
Starter David Craig took the loss as he allowed five runs (four earned) on two hits, walked four and struck out four in three innings of work.
 
In the nightcap, Colorado Mesa carried a 4-1 lead into the bottom of the seventh inning but allowed four runs on just two hits in the inning to fall 5-4 in heartbreaking, walk-off fashion.
 
Stefanos singled through the left side that brought home Kolby Felix in the top of the first inning to give the Mavericks the early lead.
 
In the second inning, Kennedy Hara reached on a fielder's choice which brought home Joey Blank for a 2-0 lead.
 
Northwest Nazarene scored their first run in the sixth inning to make it 2-1 heading to the seventh.
 
Stefanos reached on an error which ended up bringing around a pair of runs to build the Mavericks lead to 4-1 before the Nighthawks bottom half of the inning surge.
 
Felix, Stefanos, and Blank all finished the game with two hits.
 
Freshman Jett Walker was saddled with the tough luck loss.
 
Starter Liam Hohenstein allowed two runs on five hits, walked three and struck out seven in six innings of work. He pitched to one batter in the seventh before coming out of the game.

The Mavericks will return home for the first time this season as they will host Montana State Billings for a four-game series beginning on Thursday at 1pm from The Diamond. The annual Leadoff Dinner follows the game with tickets still available by heading to the link HERE.