By: A.J. Vazquez, Strategic Communications & Marketing Intern
GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. - Day three of the 2026 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Baseball Championship featured explosive offense and strong defensive performances.
Two teams were eliminated, while three remain after game nine. Colorado Mesa University eliminated University of Colorado Colorado Springs, 11-4, in the first game of the day to advance and later face Metropolitan State University Denver. Colorado State University Pueblo’s tournament run came to an end against Colorado School of Mines. In its second game of the day, Colorado Mesa defeated previously undefeated MSU Denver.
With the win, Colorado Mesa advanced to the championship game. MSU Denver remains alive with one loss and will now face Colorado School of Mines at 1 p.m. in the decisive matchup to determine who advances to the championship round to meet the Mavericks.
Game 7: No. 1 Colorado Mesa def. No. 3 UCCS, 11-4
Colorado Mesa bounced back after a loss to CSU Pueblo in game five, defeating UCCS, 11-4, to stay alive in the tournament. The Mavericks nearly shut out the Mountain Lions, holding them scoreless through seven innings. UCCS opened with a quick three-up, three-down inning, and the Mavericks jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first on a Brooks Bachman RBI single that brought Kolby Felix home. Bachman later scored on a fielding error.
In the second, the Mountain Lions again went down in order. The Mavericks padded their lead with three more runs, beginning with an RBI from Felix that sent Kennedy Hara home, followed by a Tate Blasi double that scored Felix and Keegan Landis.
Colorado Mesa added two more runs in the fourth on a two-run homer from Blasi, bringing himself and Bachman around the bases. In the bottom of the fifth, Felix knocked an RBI double to score Landis. The Mountain Lions’ hitting drought finally ended in the sixth, when Tyler Buchman recorded UCCS’ first hit of the day with a single, followed by another from Brenden Killeen. Blasi responded with another home run in the bottom of the inning for the Mavericks.
UCCS got on the scoreboard in the top of the eighth when Tyler Genrich came home on a Ruben Velasco flyout. The Mavericks answered with two more runs on Trevor Tse’s RBI double. Matthew Shipley homered to left field later in the inning, also driving in Nolan Oliver. UCCS added one more run from Genrich, but could not overcome the deficit.
Blasi led all players with two home runs and five RBI. The Mavericks had four players record three hits, while two players drove in multiple runs.
With the win, the Mavericks survived elimination and advanced to face MSU Denver in game nine of the tournament.
Game 8: No. 5 Colorado School of Mines def. No. 4 CSU Pueblo, 13-1
Colorado School of Mines turned in a dominant performance to roll past the Thunderwolves, 13-1. Colorado School of Mines’ Alex Honeyman tossed a complete game, holding CSU Pueblo to just four hits, one run, and no walks.
CSU Pueblo struck first when Jake Hixenbaugh came home on an RBI single from Tyler Clementz. The Orediggers responded in the bottom of the second with an RBI groundout, then took control in the third when Evan Bilter knocked a two-run single to give Colorado School of Mines a 3-1 lead.
In the fourth, the Orediggers expanded their advantage on an RBI single from Brody Duvall. Later in the inning, Alex Dunagan launched a three-run homer to push Colorado School of Mines ahead, 7-1. Tyler Pina added a solo home run, and in the seventh, Logan Parker drove in two more runs with a double to extend the Oredigger lead to 10-1. Bilter capped the scoring with a two-run homer in the eighth to make it 12-1 heading into the final inning. The Thunderwolves had one final opportunity to respond, but were unable to add to their total.
Dunagan, Bilter, and Pina each homered for the Orediggers, with Bilter driving in four runs. Clementz accounted for the ThunderWolves’ lone RBI, while Hixenbaugh scored the team’s only run. Clementz also led the game defensively with 12 putouts at first base. On the mound, Honeyman struck out eight in his complete-game effort, nearly recording a shutout.
With the win, the Orediggers advanced to face MSU Denver at 1 p.m. tomorrow.
Game 9: No. 1 Colorado Mesa def. No. 2 MSU Denver (H), 10-2
The final game of the night featured No. 1 seed Colorado Mesa and previously undefeated MSU Denver. The final score does not fully reflect how tightly contested the game was early, with both teams showcasing strong defensive play. The first three innings were a stalemate, with each team recording just one hit through the opening third of the game.
Colorado Mesa broke through first in the top of the fourth on an RBI single from DiFrancesco that brought Kennedy Hara home. MSU Denver responded with two runs to take the lead, sparked by a solo home run from Michael Deit and an RBI from Brooks Rasmussen that scored Brayden Oram. Felix answered for the Mavericks in the following inning, crossing home to tie the game at 2-2.
Neither team scored from the bottom of the fifth through the sixth inning, but Colorado Mesa erupted over the final three innings, scoring eight unanswered runs to pull away for the 10-2 victory.
Joey Blank and Kolby Felix each homered for the Mavericks, while Deit accounted for the Roadrunners’ lone home run of the night. Blank led all players with three RBI. Colorado Mesa’s Caleb Ruter led the game with four strikeouts across 4.2 innings of work.
MSU Denver will have one final chance to advance to the championship round, facing Colorado School of Mines at 1 p.m. in the decisive matchup. Colorado Mesa will face the winner of the MSU Denver–Colorado School of Mines game at 4:30 p.m.
About the RMAC
The Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, headquartered in Colorado Springs, is a premier NCAA Division II conference with 15 institutions located in Colorado, Nebraska, New Mexico, South Dakota, and Utah. The RMAC currently competes in 22 NCAA Division II sports and has earned 71 national championships and 53 national runners-up since 1992. Founded in 1909, the RMAC is the most historic athletic conference in the western United States and Division II.
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