AZUSA, Calif. – The Colorado Mesa University softball team fell victim to a pair of opening day losses this evening as they dropped both games of their doubleheader against Azusa Pacific University at Cougar Softball Complex.
Today's games were the first two of an eight-game road trip to California with the Mavericks facing all opponents from the Western Region.
Colorado Mesa starts their season with a 0-2 record while Azusa improves to 5-1 after having played last week as well.
Below is a short recap of each game:
GAME 1 (APU 7, CMU 2):
Four errors and six free passes on the pitching side ultimately were what led to CMU dropping their seasoner opener in the first game of the doubleheader with the Cougars scoring in four innings of the game, including six of them through the first three innings.
APU scored three runs in the first to bolster that early lead with them taking advantage of two errors in the bottom of the opening frame.
The Mavs responded by scoring two runs back in the top of the second inning on an Ava Stephens double but couldn't build any more momentum in the game as only four more batters would reach base.
The Cougars added to their lead in the bottom of the second on a solo home run with them then adding two more runs in the third inning and one in the bottom of the sixth.
Jessalyn Gallegos went the complete game getting the opening day start as she finished with six innings pitched, five hits, seven runs (four earned), five walks and five strikeouts
The Mavs only totaled two hits on offense with Stephens having one and Cailynn Parsons having the other.
TK Landes and Molli Magaña made their Maverick debuts in the game as well with Landes getting the start in centerfield and Magaña serving as the designated player.
GAME 2 (APU 6, CMU 4):
Attempting to bounce back in game two of the day, the Mavs jumped out to a 4-0 lead through the first two innings of play but were unable to grow on that lead as the Cougars clawed their way back scoring six unanswered runs between the third and sixth innings.
Colorado Mesa scored three runs in the first inning on three hits from the squad, with both April Neil and Khloe Kubitschek collecting RBIs.
A Brynn Escobar sacrifice fly in the second inning brought home the team's other run.
The Mavs struggled to apply pressure after the second inning though as they only managed three hits the rest of the game due to staunch pitching from the Cougars' bullpen.
The Cougars scored one run in both the third and fourth innings to make it a two-run game with the eventual decisive inning being the fifth as they scored two runs this time to now have it be tied at four apiece.
Colorado Mesa would go down in order in the top of the sixth inning before the Cougars then added a pair in the bottom of the frame to lead 6-4.
The Mavs were able to have a base runner on in the top of the seventh to flirt with a comeback but flew out to the track to end the game.
Seven hits were managed by the team with Kubitschek being the only batter to have a multi-hit performance, going 2-3.
Sophia Tassinari went four innings in the circle allowing just one earned run on three hits with two strikeouts in her start before Kamdyn Haggerty and Marisa Nehm closed out the game.
April Neill and Paige Pierce both made their Maverick debuts in game two while the duo of Allison Lindsay and Dakota DiPaola also saw the diamond after both missed last season due to injury.
UP NEXT
The Mavs will get tomorrow off now before they begin the DII West Coast Challenge this weekend. Colorado Mesa takes on Biola University and Cal State San Bernadino on Friday to start the tournament with times set for 10:30 and 3:00 p.m. MST.
