The Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame coach Vince Lombardi once said, “Winning isn’t everything, it’s the only thing.” And winning is the only thing the Colorado Mesa University softball team has been doing for the past month.
For the month of March, the team went 16-0 and are currently in the middle of an 20 game win streak.
“The three things that I think that we are doing well is the three essentials,” head coach Ben Garcia said. “We are getting really good pitching and when we are hitting the ball we are scoring runs and then I think a key component is that we are playing really good defense and we are making the routine plays.”
Last season the team set a program record with a 29 game win streak. For Garcia, he believes the team thinks about how close they are to breaking the record.
“I’m sure they think about it,” Garcia said. “But I like the makeup of this team. They go out and battle each game and they are not looking past any team.”
One reason CMU has been on the win streak is because of the hitting from their one through nine batters. As a team, CMU leads the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference with a batting average of .359.
“It can be a different person each week,” Garcia said. “In the past three weeks, we have had someone different come through. I think the reason is because we are getting a lot of two out hits.”
The Mavs also have the RMAC leader in batting average, slugging percentage, home runs and RBIs with center fielder Brooke Hodgson.
“Brooke has had a phenomenal year,” Garcia said. “Very consistent and she does a great job in every single game. You know you will get her best effort every single game.”
CMU also has the number one pitching staff in the RMAC. The team leads the conference in ERA, shutouts and strikeouts. The team has allowed the fewest hits and walks.
If CMU breaks the record, it will be on the road in game two of a doubleheader against Colorado Christian University on April 22.
The CMU softball team continued their streak against Fort Lewis College Skyhawks over the weekend with a pair of doubleheaders.
Hodgson led the way in the first doubleheader going a combined 4-for-6 with three home runs and seven RBIs.
In game one, CMU scored first when shortstop Baylee Boren hit a RBI double in the third inning. The next inning, Hodgson hit her first two run home run of the day to increase the lead to 3-0.
Skyhawks’ Lauren Caldwell smacked a two run double off CMU starting pitcher Mackenzie Surface to cut the lead to 3-2. The Mavs then responded in the fifth inning when designated player AnnMarie Torres hit a two run double to right center field.
Surface only allowed two hits in the last three innings and the Mavs held on to win game one, 5-2. Surface received her 14th win of the season. She went seven innings, allowed two runs, six hits and struck out five.
“Mackenzie Surface has been pitching very, very well,” Garcia said. “She has had about four games where she has gone five innings, so that shows she is not giving up runs.”
In game two, CMU got on the board in the first inning. Torres started the scoring with a RBI single and the team scored three more runs to take an early 4-0 lead.
Fort Lewis cut the lead in the bottom of the first inning when Angelique Elemen struck a three run home run off starting pitcher Kimbri Herring.
Hodgson responded in the second and fourth inning with two two run home runs to increase the lead to 8-3. And Herring settled down after allowing the three home run and allowed only two hits through the next four innings.
The Mavs scored six runs in the fifth inning which included left fielder Kellie Mrofcza’s bases clearing three run double.
“Kellie Mrofcza has been absolutely hitting the ball very well,” Garcia said.
CMU won the second game, 15-3.
Hodgson and Mrofcza, who are the four and five hitters respectively, went a combined 6-for-6 with nine RBIs. Herring received her eighth win of the season. She went five innings, allowed three runs, four hits and struck out six.
The first game of Sunday’s doubleheader featured the Mavs scoring 17 runs. CMU had two seven run innings that occurred in the third and fourth inning.
Left fielder Jessica Bouroff hit a grand slam, Pakes smacked a two run home run and
Hodgson added three RBIs as CMU won, 17-1. Surface went five innings and allowed three hits and one run.
In game two of Sunday’s doubleheader, the game looked like another big win for CMU, but the Skyhawks clawed back from six runs down to tie the game 7-7 after five innings.
CMU had the bases loaded, in the top of the sixth inning but Hodgson grounded out to the pitcher to end the threat. Skyhawks had a chance for a walk off win in the bottom of the seventh, but they stranded runners on first and second.
After a scoreless eighth inning, CMU’s Bailey Kleespies hit a go-ahead two run single to take a 9-7 lead in the ninth. In the bottom of the ninth, the Skyhawks had another chance for the upset after the team had three straight hits including a RBI double that left runners on second and third.
However, Surface made the next three Skyhawks batters strikeout swinging and CMU won the game, 9-8. Surface got her 16th win of the season. She went nine innings allowing 15 hits and seven earned runs while striking out 10.
Mrofcza went 3-for-4 with a three run home run in the fifth inning. Designated player Andy Hancock added three RBIs.
With the wins, CMU is now 28-4 on the season, 21-2 in the RMAC.
CMU next plays at home against Black Hills State for a pair of doubleheaders on Saturday and Sunday.
