The Colorado Mesa University softball team is back in Grand Junction. Blue skies and a small breeze set the scene for a doubleheader against the Skyhawks of Fort Lewis College after the series got moved twice due to weather. The Mavericks won both games of the doubleheader on Sunday by a combined score of 27-0.
The day started with Junior Brooke Doumer hitting a double which would allow her to score when Kellie Mrofcza reached on an error in the first. AnnMarie Torres then came up to the plate and allowed Mrofcza to score. It came apparent that the Mavericks were just getting started because when sophomore Tayah Gerber came up to bat, she knew the only place she going to end up was back at home plate. The Taylorsville, Utah native did exactly that when she hit a two-run homer to give the Mavericks a 5-0 lead in the first inning.
“We really have been working on trying to just jump on teams earlier in the game,” Head Coach Erik Kozel said. “We have been working on line drives and hitting line drives right off the barrel of the bat. We wanted to get out there and get as many runs as possible and then when the pitchers came in we wanted to get right back out there.”
Doumer and Torres both continued to help out the Mavericks throughout the game by both of having a big day at the plate, going 3-4 and crossing the plate once. Gerber continued her monster game with two hits and scoring twice.
Senior Kimbri Herring gave the team another outstanding pitching performance throwing 83 pitches in five innings while allowing only one hit as well as striking out nine.
CMU would go on to win 12-0.
The second game was another five-inning slugfest for the Mavericks. They completed the day with a 15-0 victory over the Skyhawks. Nine of those 15 runs came during the first inning. The Mavericks put up 13 hits with the 15 runs they scored in this shutout.
Doumer came up big for the Mavericks again in this one with scoring three runs. Torres and Mrofcza also came up huge; Torres going 3-4 and scoring two runs. Mrofcza went 2-4 with three runs scored.
The pitching performance was once again a great one. Paige Adair threw four shutout innings with 64 pitches while striking out four. Mackenzie Surface closed out the game for the Mavericks striking out the side in the fifth.
The Mavericks will look to complete the sweep against Fort Lewis on Monday, Feb. 25.
