Nothing gets you back on track like timely hitting and absolute lasers that leave the ballpark.
Colorado Mesa University (26-6), after their worst loss of the season Friday night, bounced back with a few statement victories Saturday afternoon against CSU-Pueblo (16-16).
A few dents in the scorebook in game one gave CMU a 10-4 victory and a clutch, late-game three-run blast later in the day by sophomore Jordan Stubbings handed them a 5-2 victory and the two-game sweep.
One way to erase a tough loss is to score early. Luckily for the Mavericks, it’s one of many parts of the game they excel at. Hunter Douglas started game one with a single up the middle off CSU-Pueblo starter Josh Dahl. After an error and groundout to the right side, Douglas was on third when Dominic DeMarco lifted a 1-2 pitch to centerfield, giving Douglas plenty of time to come home and score the game’s first run.
Later in the inning, Caleb Farmer brought Stubbings to the plate, who reached via a two-out walk.
The Thunderwolves, who are 12-8 at home, couldn’t put anything together until the third inning. After Trevin Reynolds struck out the first batter in the third, a one-out walk to Jesse Holguin allowed Gilbert Sauceda to bring him home with an RBI double a few batters later. Dakota Popham followed with an RBI single to cut the Mavericks lead to 3-2.
CMU broke the game open with a four-run fourth and a three-run sixth. Chase Hamilton chipped in an RBI single in the third, and DeMarco stayed short again with runners on base, this time delivering a two-run triple. Stubbings capped the scoring in the third with an RBI single to push the lead to 7-2.
DeMarco added two more RBIs with a double to left in the sixth and Hunter McGeary, who had a tremendous Saturday a week ago, gave CMU a sizeable 10-4 lead with an RBI single.
Reynolds, in his first start on the mound, found trouble the second time through the order. The outfielder/pitcher went just 3 ⅓ innings and allowed four runs on four hits, but kept CMU in the ballgame. He had three scoreless appearances out of the bullpen prior to Saturday’s start.
Jett Wodiuk picked up the win after getting out of a two-out walk in the bottom half of the fourth. Will Dixon came in for Wodiuk in the fifth and pitched 2 ⅔ scoreless innings. He struck out four hitters and picked up his fourth save.
Dixon has been an anchor out of the Maverick bullpen this season. He hasn’t been scored upon in his last eight appearances, 14 ⅓ innings, allowing just six hits while striking out 18. His earned run average sits at 0.55.
It was more of a pitching duel in game two between CMU right-hander Garrett Hutson and CSU-Pueblo starter Brett Matthews. This time, the Thunderwolves struck first.
Sauceda reached first with a one-out walk, and Popham continued his game one theme with an RBI triple to right-center. Two batters later, Rion Santamaria brought Popham home with a single to center.
Matthews held CMU to just two hits through five, but the Mavericks figured out the 6’5 right-hander in the sixth. Four straight singles to start the sixth by the middle of CMU’s lineup put them back into the game, with Farmer delivering a game-tying RBI single.
Andrew Coverly came in for Matthews and sat down the next three Maverick hitters to escape the inning, but unfortunately for Coverly, he didn’t find the action so smooth in the seventh.
Reynolds and DeMarco singled to place runners on first and second with nobody out. After a force out that put Reynolds and McGeary on first and third, Stubbings came to the plate and delivered the biggest hit of the day: a towering three-run shot to left field that gave CMU a 5-2 lead and Hutson plenty of room to finish the complete game.
Hutson scattered three hits over his final six innings of work in another dominant effort: 7.0 innings, five hits, two runs, one walk, and eight strikeouts.
The senior is on a midseason tear. In his last 26 innings, he’s pitched three complete games and has allowed just three runs and 17 hits with a 25/5 strikeout to walk ratio. He also hasn’t allowed a home run since March 3rd, which has helped his ERA hover below the Mendoza line at 1.64.
Stubbings went 3-for-7 in both games with five RBIs and a home run. DeMarco was a bit better with a 4-for-7 day and five RBIs.
