LAKEWOOD, CO - The Cougars continued their series against #3 Colorado Mesa on a beautiful Saturday afternoon at All Star Park. After a tightly contested first game, the Cougars couldn't get over the hill and dropped both double header games 2-3 and 7-16. 

GAME ONE 
Brady Ritzmann got the start on the bump for CCU and had a good outing in the first couple innings, putting zeroes on the board for the Mavericks. Landry Hamm got things going for CCU, scoring Cade Lacy on an RBI double.  

It was quite a pitcher's duel between both teams, then CMU took their chance with runners on and scored two in the bottom of the fourth. CCU responded well with Nathan Mensen hitting a single to get on and advancing to third base. Mensen would score on a sacrifice fly out from Lacy to tie the game at 2-2. 

The game came down to the wire in the seventh where CMU got the bats hot at the right time, getting the go ahead run to take the lead. With the rally caps on for CCU Hamm got on base and was able to get to second however, two strikeouts from the pitcher ended the chance for a walkoff for CCU with the Mavericks winning game one 3-2. 

Ritzmann did a phenomenal job going a full 7 innings for CCU throwing two strikeouts and only allowing five hits. 

GAME TWO 
From the start of the second game it was all Mavericks, getting themselves two runs in the first and a solo home run in the second to take the 3-0 lead early. Aidan Welsh did come in to score for CCU from an RBI triple from Lacy.  

The Mavericks showed why they are among the best in the nation as it was all offense for the next four innings, putting up run after run to go ahead 16-1 at the end of the sixth inning. 

CCU did their best to not go down without a fight, with a grand slam from Taylor McLeod to right field, and Jackson Stahl reaching first on an error to score Lukas Hinze and Seth Gustafson. CMU would get the eventual third and final out to win game two 16-7. 

Zachary Hill, Wyatt Saul, Matt Ramstead, and Ben Crandall all saw action on the mound for CCU, while Hinze and Welsh each collected two hits. 

The Cougars will look to take the fourth game in the series finale against the Mavericks tomorrow, March 22 with first pitch scheduled for 12 p.m. MDT.