GRAND JUNCTION, CO- The Cougars continued play on the road Saturday with a doubleheader at Colorado Mesa as they looked to keep their win streak and perfect conference mark alive. They did so in convincing fashion, slugging their way to a pair of run-rule victories over the Mavericks 12-0 and 12-2.
GAME ONE
CCU used two huge innings in the first contest of the day to run away with the victory over CMU with lockdown pitching throughout as well. Neither team scored through the first two innings before the Cougars absolutely exploded offensively in the third.
Arriana Wright got her team on the board with an RBI single, and Feleshe LePenske ripped a run-scoring triple to make it 2-0. After
Maya Schroeder singled and
Paisley Williamson was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, the Mavs sent in a new pitcher down 4-0.
Sarah Dollerschell greeted her with a grand slam as she broke the game wide open with a big fly to right center.
Already comfortably leading, Dollerschell continued her monster game with a three-run bomb in the fifth to send her team ahead 11-0. Wright capped the scoring with one more home run, a solo shot to left center to ice the 12-0 mercy-rule win.
LePenske continued her perfect run in the circle to improve to 17-0, tossing all five innings while allowing just three hits and striking out six in a dominant effort. Dollerschell brought the power, launching a pair of homers for 7 RBI.
GAME TWO
The Cougars started their scoring in the second with an RBI single from
Peyton Marvel. Dollerschell picked up a sac fly, while Wright singled home a run in the third for a 3-0 advantage. Schroeder continued the scoring with a sac fly, and Wright singled another home in the fourth. LePenske picked up an RBI groundout as the lead grew to 6-0.
The Mavericks scored two in the fourth on a homer, but that was all they would get the rest of the way. Dollerschell notched an RBI fielder's choice in the fifth, and
Kat Hanson singled in another as the lead ballooned to 8-2.
Elyse McMullin made it 9-2 with a sac fly before Wright obliterated a ball for a three-run homer to left field to send her team into run-rule territory 12-2.
Hanna Espinoza closed the final frame out with a groundout and pair of strikeouts to seal the 12-2 mercy-rule victory.
Lisa Liddell picked up the win with 3.2 innings tossed and 3 strikeouts with just two runs allowed. Wright produced in a big way, tallying 5 RBI with a pair of singles and the gamebreaking three-run shot in the fifth.
The Cougars win streak extended to 40 games with the doubleheader sweep and a perfect 34-0 mark in RMAC play.
CCU will look to finish the series sweep of the Mavericks on Sunday April 19 as they face off in another doubleheader at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. MDT.
