GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. — Plenty of hitting, some stellar fielding, solid pitching and a little gamesmanship — just your typical baseball game between rivals Colorado Mesa and CSU Pueblo.
Oh, and snow, wind and dropping temperatures Saturday throughout the Mavericks' 10-5 victory at The Diamond at Bus Bergman Sports Complex.
The Mavericks (12-7, 5-0 RMAC) collected 16 hits, including five doubles and one home run, got another quality start from Gauge Lockhart (4-0) and 1 1/3 shutdown innings from JJ Almeda to win their fifth straight game and eighth of their past nine.
Four straight base hits put the Mavericks up 3-0 in the first inning, with Christos Stefanos driving an RBI single to center after Paul Schoenfeld led off with a walk and stole second. Stevenson Reynolds followed with a double to the gap in right center, scoring Stefanos from first, and a base hit to left by Ethan Ezor moved Reynolds to third. He came home on Declan Wiesner's base hit to left.
The snow started flying in the second inning, and the ThunderWolves' Kysen Howard lifted a towering two-run home run to straightaway center. Lockhart shut CSU Pueblo down from that point until the sixth inning, when the Pack scored three to cut into what was a 7-2 lead.
Back-to-back doubles to lead off the bottom of the fourth by Ezor and Wiesner triggered the Mavericks' four-run fourth inning. Kennedy Hara and Schoenfeld laced back-to-back doubles with one out and Kolby Felix followed with a two-run single to right.
After CSU Pueblo pulled to within two and had runners at the corners with two out in the sixth, CMU's defense got Jordan Ellison out of a jam. Ellison inherited the runners on base after coming in for Cayden Clark with two out. Clark relieved Lockhart with the bases loaded and gave up a two-run double, a walk and a sacrifice fly.
The runner on first, Logan Kelly, went halfway to second to draw a throw from Ellison and got himself in a rundown. As the Mavs chased Kelly back to first with one throw to Reynolds, Howard broke for the plate. Reynolds' throw to Wiesner was in plenty of time to end the inning.
Hara got one of the runs back in the bottom of the sixth with a home run to left-center and Stefanos added an RBI single to put CMU up 9-5 before the defense came up with another big play in the seventh.
With one out and Noah Williams on first after a walk, Wyatt Reginato lifted a fly ball to left. Williams had taken off on contact and had rounded second, and left fielder Cameron Cartwright easily doubled him off with the long throw to first. CMU added an insurance run in the eighth, setting up Almeda's stellar ninth inning.
The Mavs' closer came on to strike out the final batter of the eighth inning to strand two runners, and retired the first man he faced in the ninth. With a 2-2 count on Williams, CSU Pueblo coach Bobby Applegate came out and conferred with the home plate umpire, who then called the others over and checked Almeda's glove and pitching hand. No substances were found, and Almeda responded by striking out Williams, then gave up a bloop single to right. He struck out Reginato to end the game, hopping off the mound in celebration, popping his jersey as he skipped toward his teammates.
Lockhart allowed five runs on four hits through 5 1/3 innings, striking out five and walking four. Almeda recorded three strikeouts in 1 1/3 innings, allowing only one hit. The Mavs' four pitchers combined to allow seven hits, walked seven and struck out nine.
Reynolds and Stefano each went 3 for 5, Schoenfeld, Ezor, Wiesner and Hara had two hits each, with Felix, Stefanos, Hara, Wiesner and Hara driving in two runs apiece.
The Mavericks played error-free baseball for the ninth straight game and now have a team fielding percentage of .977.
The teams resume the RMAC series with a doubleheader at 1 p.m. today at The Diamond, with a nine-inning game at noon Monday.
