GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. – In game one of the nationally ranked series, #9 Colorado Mesa delivered the first blow with a 7-1 win over visiting #13 Augustana on Thursday (Feb. 26) afternoon at The Diamond at Hamilton Ballpark. The win extends the Mavericks winning streak to 10 to start the important weekend.
The two starting pitchers were tough to beat early but Augustana struck in the first inning with a single by Carter Heinsch that scored Brandon Weigel. Weigel reached on a walk and that would be the only run the Vikings would get in the game.
Augustana had a great opportunity to extend their lead in the second inning. The Vikings worked the bases loaded in the top of the second, but Maverick starter
Liam Hohenstein was able to get three straight strikeouts to thwart the threat.
Hohenstein allowed just two hits and a walk after the second inning. He finished the game with six strikeouts in five innings of work to earn his first win of the season.
Viking starter Mariano Gomez was equally impressive allowing two hits over his three innings of work. He worked into some deep counts that drove his pitch count up and did not factor into the decision.
Kolby Felix snapped a string of eight straight retired by Gomez in the bottom of the third inning with a no doubt home run to left field. Felix sent a 1-2 pitch from Gomez over the wall in left field and short hopped the tennis courts on the other side of the row of parked cars.
Felix's home run knotted the game at 1-1after the third inning.
Ezra Farmer broke the tie in the fifth inning with a RBI double that scored Felix on the play to make it 2-1.
Colorado Mesa added a pair of insurance runs in the sixth and eighth innings. The Mavericks benefitted from a pair of errors in the sixth inning while Farmer had an RBI groundout in the eighth.
Cameron Cartwright also delivered a two-run single in the frame.
Sophomore
Justin Schramm did an outstanding job in relief of the Hohenstein. Schramm pitched three and two-thirds innings of shutout baseball. He allowed two hits and three walks while striking out seven.
Farmer was the lone Mavericks with multiple hits.
The two teams will continue the series tomorrow at 1pm from The Diamond at Hamilton Ballpark.
