Colorado Christian Softball ended Sunday's doubleheader with a well of momentum. A statement win over a tough Colorado Mesa squad had the Cougars riding high heading into Monday's contests. CCU came out with guns blazing as a result, but Mesa's deeply talented squad withstood the early Christian fireworks. Though the blue and gold led by as many as five runs late in the game, the Mavericks rallied back to grab game one 8-7, before throttling the home Cougars in a 14-3 finale.

A big four-run inning early in Monday's opener had Colorado Christian up right away. Taking advantage of CMU miscues, the Cougars plated consecutive runners in the second, maintaining the steam they'd worked hard to build the day before. Mesa responded with an RBI double in the next inning, but an Alexa Coffing solo shot in the bottom of the third preserved Christian's four run lead. Kristina Billante followed Coffing's lead in the fourth, crushing another one-run bomb to give CCU a 6-1 lead heading into the fifth inning.

Unfortunately, the Cougars were on the verge of a stall - and Mesa was about to heat up. Though Colorado Christian would score one off a Mesa error in the fifth, the Mavericks would ignite for seven runs in the final three innings. CCU had no answer, assuring another frustrating one-run loss.

Though she struck out three and allowed just four earned runs in 6.2 innings of work, Christian freshman Tana Feiner got the loss - her 11th of the year. Mesa batters collected 11 runs on CCU's crew of Feiner, Katie Edison, and Jennie Winston, while CCU managed nine hits in the seven inning affair. Billante, Coffing, and freshman Letty Valenzuela each notched two hits at the plate, with Billante adding two RBI and one run.

The Christian bats stayed active in the finale, but a crippling five-error effort ruined CCU's chances at a rebound. The Cougars tallied 11 hits compared to 12 from CMU, but produced only three runs in the 14-3 loss. Three-for-three efforts from Sarah Rasmussen and Valenzuela proved futile, as a quick Mesa defense shut down most Colorado Christian offensive efforts. A pair of solo Rasmussen homers accounted for two of three CCU's runs.

Valenzuela's effort at the plate Monday marked the freshman's eighth-straight game with a hit. The Las Vegas native is hitting .591 in the past 22 at-bats.

Getting the loss in game two was senior Mariah Bledsoe (8-8). Bledsoe gave up five earned runs on seven hits in her three-inning showing, striking out one Mesa batter and walking another. Jennie Winston wrapped the game for the Cougars, allowing five earned runs on five hits.

With one weekend of regular season play remaining on the schedule, CCU sits at sixth in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference standings. The Christian squad will take their 15-15 conference mark to Alamosa next weekend to take on the fifth-ranked Grizzlies of Adams State. The series is slated to begin with an doubleheader beginning at 11am on Saturday.