Less than a month after Kristin Mort announced that this season will be her last, the CMU Softball team opened its season on the road at the NSIC/RMAC Crossover Tournament in Pueblo. The Mavs (2-2, 1-0 RMAC) defeated No. 12 Minnesota State-Mankato 3-2 and Black Hills State 14-6. However, they would not be able to hold onto that momentum as they dropped their final two games, losing to Winona State 12-9 and Concordia-St. Paul 11-2.

In their first game of the 2012 season, CMU came back against MSU after trailing 1-2 for the majority of the game. Singles by second baseman Lisa Pille and first baseman Shannon McClenahan in the sixth inning allowed pinch runners Lindsay Drayer and Jessica Albertson to score the game-winning runs. Sophomore pitcher Ashley Pulido earned her first victory on the season by pitching five innings, allowing two runs on six hits, and striking out four. Redshirt junior Courtney Maihi closed out the final two innings on the mound with zero runs on two hits and one strikeout.

In their second game of the doubleheader, the Mavs exploded on offense by putting up 14 runs in a rout of future RMAC opponent Black Hills State. Heading into the top of the fifth inning, the Mavs led 7-6 before executing an impressive seven-run inning. Designated hitter Mackenzy Derrick started the action with a home run to right field, followed by a two-run single by McClenahan and a grand slam by centerfielder Danielle Vallie put the game out of reach for the Yellow Jackets. Catherine Floyd earned her first win on the season, pitching five innings, allowing six runs on eight hits. Pulido pitched for one inning, giving up zero runs on two hits with one strikeout.

The Mavs were unable to extend their winning streak against Winona State. They held an early 5-4 lead heading into the fourth inning, but suffered a five-run inning and trailed for the remainder of the game. Seven players recorded hits for the Mavericks, highlighted by a grand slam from Maihi in the third inning that gave them their only lead of the game.

“That was a tough game to lose because we really put in a lot of effort and kept it close,” Pulido said. “It was a good fight.”

In their final matchup of the weekend, the Mavs fell to Concordia-St. Paul in very similar fashion to their previous outing. The Mavs took an early 2-0 lead, but gave up six runs in the fourth to make the Golden Bears’ lead insurmountable.

“It was really good to have this tournament now to see where we need fine tuning,” Pulido said. “It helped us see where we are as a team right now.”

The Mavericks will open their home schedule with two doubleheaders against CSU-Peublo this weekend at Bus Bergman Field.