GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. — Andrew Pogue was outstanding for the No. 13 Colorado Mesa baseball team Friday night and Paul Schoenfeld and coach Chris Hanks both reached milestones in the Mavericks' 9-2 nonconference win over Rollins College (Fla.).
Taking the mound as a starter for the first time this season, the redshirt senior transfer from the University of Illinois, Pogue (3-0) showcased his velocity at newly christened The Diamond at Hamilton Ballpark. He was still throwing in the high 90s in the sixth inning, allowing only one run on four hits. He struck out three and didn't walk a batter in his six innings.
Three relievers followed suit, combining to allow only one run on three hits with four strikeouts in their one-inning stints. The Maverick pitchers did not walk a batter.
The victory was No. 1,100 for Hanks, the fifth active Division II coach to reach that mark and the 12th active coach across all three NCAA divisions. Only 12 other Division II coaches have won 1,100 games in their careers, and Hanks has all of them at Colorado Mesa, where he's in his 27th year.
As for Schoenfeld, the Mavericks' senior center fielder ran his hitting streak to 20 games, the longest since Bligh Madris strung a 20-game streak across the 2015 and 2016 seasons. Schoenfeld went 2 for 2 with a sacrifice bunt and a pair of walks.
His fourth-inning home run, an opposite-field shot to left, drove in three and gave the Mavericks a 6-0 lead. Schoenfeld also scored three of the four times he reached base.
Cameron Cartwright's 18-game hitting streak was snapped, but he reached base twice, once on an error and again on a fielder's choice, driving in runs both times. His second RBI came in the third inning when he grounded to third base. Schoenfeld took off from third on contact and slid under the tag at the plate. Rollins challenged the call, but after a lengthy video review, the call was upheld, giving CMU a 2-0 lead.
With two out, the Mavericks (31-10) perfectly executed a hit-and-run, with Cartwright taking off from first and Declan Wiesner lacing an RBI double down the left field line to put CMU up 3-0.
Schoenfeld hit his seventh home run of the season in the fourth inning, Stevenson Reynolds singled home one run in the in the fifth and Ethan Nunez added an RBI double in the sixth. The Mavs scored nine runs on nine hits and drew eight walks.
Pogue, meanwhile, was keeping the Tars off the base paths, retiring the first seven batters and 11 of the first 12.
No Rollins base runner got past second base through five innings, but the Tars (27-14) led off the sixth with back-to-back singles, and a passed ball and sacrifice fly ended the shutout. With two out and a runner on third, Pogue ended the inning with his fourth strikeout.
Ethan Voss, Tyler Glowacki and JJ Almeda each worked one inning in relief, sending the largest home crowd of the season, 1,079, home happy.
The RMAC-leading Mavericks, who are on their conference bye week, lead the series against the Tars 4-3 with two games remaining in the weekend series. Game 2 is 1 p.m. Saturday, which is 17 Strong Day in memory of former Maverick Ryan Teixeira, and Game 3 starts at noon Sunday.
THE DIAMOND AT HAMILTON BALLPARK
Before the game, Colorado Mesa honored former middle infielder and long-time Maverick booster and civic leader Jamie Hamilton by renaming the stadium "The Diamond at Hamilton Ballpark," which opened in 2022 at Bus Bergman Sports Complex after it was transformed from a practice facility to a game stadium.
Hamilton was a second baseman at Mesa in the late 1970s, earning all-conference and academic All-America honors, and after his professional career, returned to Grand Junction and was an assistant coach. He later served as CMU's athletic director for a $1 annual salary while he was still running his insurance business at Home Loan and Investment.
He has volunteered on several boards and committees for numerous projects, and is a former member of CMU's Board of Trustees.
Hamilton was the chairman of the Alpine Bank Junior College World Series from 2003-2024, and is still volunteering as a tournament director. He's a member of CMU's Hall of Honor and has been involved with the university for the past 50 years.
A plaque commemorating Hamilton's service was unveiled at the entrance to Bus Bergman Sports Complex before the game, and Hamilton then threw out the first pitch.
