GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. – For the fourth straight season, the Colorado Mesa baseball team was victorious in their home opener after a 5-1 win over the Montana State Billings Yellowjackets on Thursday (Feb. 27) afternoon at The Diamond at the Bus Bergman Sports Complex.
 
Gauge Lockhart took the ball in the home opener for his first start as a Maverick and did not disappoint. Lockhart moved his record to 2-0 on the season after allowing one run (unearned) on four hits, walked three and struck out four in six innings of work.
 
He ran into a jam in the third where the only run that MSUB scored came in but worked out of the jam and retired seven of the next nine batters he faced.
 
Lockhart gave way to his bullpen in the seventh and a trio of three pitchers were equally as dominant. Tyler Glowacki (7^th), Jordan Ellison (8^th), and Cayden Clark (9^th) combined to allow just one hit, one walk and five strikeouts in the final three innings of action.
 
The Mavericks scored the first run of the game on an RBI single to right field that brought home Christos Stefanos. They were also able to tack on another run in the second inning on a sacrifice fly to center by Paul Schoenfeld that brought in Ethan Ezor.
 
Colorado Mesa tacked on single runs in the fourth, fifth, and eighth innings to extend the lead to 5-1.
 
Schoenfeld, Kolby Felix and Joey Blank each finished the game with two hits. Felix was the lone Maverick with an extra base-hit with a double to left field in the bottom of the seventh.
 
Seven of the 10 Mavericks that received an at-bat recorded a hit.
 
The two teams will continue the series tomorrow afternoon with a doubleheader beginning at Noon from The Diamond.