Sports Reporter
Photo by: Clinton (Buddy) Brown
ksparkhu@mavs.coloradomesa.edu
The baseball team has had an impressive season so far. Currently ranked as the No. 4 team in the nation, they have already clinched the RMAC regular season title and claimed the top spot in the first NCAA Regional Poll. The Mavericks had one more regular-season series against the second-best team in the RMAC, Regis University.
“It’s back to the fundamentals,” coach Chris Hanks said of his team’s preparation this late in the season. “We are working on fielding ground balls, bunting and turning double plays because there is going to be a time in Regionals where we are going to need a bunt in the ninth. It’s basically ‘oiling the machine,’ so to speak.”
Game one on Friday evening was the annual “Record-Breaking Attendance” night as well as Little League Night at Suplizio Field, and the Colorado Rockies mascot Dinger was also in attendance. All 2,873 in attendance got their money’s worth, as the Mavericks belted out five home runs to come back and beat the Rangers 15-5.
The fans did not have to wait long for excitement, as Erik Kozel started off the game with a homer off the first pitch of the game.
Sophomore Kevin Mitchell had a busy night, as he went yard twice with a solo homer in the second and a three-run blast in the sixth. Mitchell finished 3 for 4 with three runs scored and four RBI.
Nate Robertson and Tamatoa Demello each took turns clearing the bases in the eighth, hitting homeruns to add to the five-run inning.
Senior Nolan Snell got the start on the hill, pitching five innings while allowing three runs (two earned) on five hits with seven strikeouts. Cody Lahman came in to relieve Snell and got the ‘W’ to improve his record to 6-0.
The Mavs and Rangers split the double header on Saturday. In the early game, the Mavs came away with a win, 6-2. The Mavericks fell behind early, 2-0, in the third inning. However, a rally in the fourth helped the Mavs retake the lead 3-2. The Mavs notched one more in the fifth, followed by two more in the sixth to bring the total to six.
There was no rallying in the late game for the Mavs, who, after falling behind early, and were unable to muster any offense, only scoring four. The Rangers played stifling defense, benefitting from double plays to prevent a comeback and going on to win 8-4.
“We have larger goals ahead, but we need to understand that we have to continue to get better,” Hanks said. “It’s the little things that we forget about where we might get sloppy.”
Braden Box and Jake Kluge each had three hits in the game, and Colton Little tallied his third homerun of the season with a solo shot in the seventh.
The Mavericks took care of business getting the series-clinching win with a 9-1 victory Sunday afternoon. The Mavs finished with 10 hits and nine RBI and improved their record to 37-7 on the year, while the Rangers dropped to 23-15.
“They were a tough team, and these wins proved that we have a tough ball club here” said Kozel. “We are just gonna continue to practice and get better and prepare for (Colorado School of Mines).”
Demello talked about how this team has been able to stay focused, even after clinching the regular season.
“We have to accelerate from here. Most teams pull off a little, but this is the biggest stretch of the season,” Demello said. “Just because we made it to this point doesn’t mean we stop here.”
The Mavericks close out the regular season against Colorado School of Mines at home next weekend.
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