GRAND JUNCTION —The Mesa State College softball team got the message.

Unhappy with their play after losing Saturday’s second game of a doubleheader with Chadron State, the Mavericks went “old school” on the visiting Eagles Sunday and won two games.

Old school, Mesa-style, is batters taking aim on hitting home runs. Something the Mavericks did quite well in a 7-2, 8-0 sweep of the Eagles.

As a team, Mesa State swatted three homers in game one. Then pounded three more in the afternoon finale. And they gained a confident starting pitcher as part of the deal.

Jessica Rayman started and won both games. In 12 innings of work, the junior held the Eagles to 10 hits while striking out eight. Game one was a bit of a struggle for Rayman.

She had to wiggle her way out of bases-loaded situations in the first and third innings. But she got the job done.

The second game was a breeze. Rayman had her best performance of the season, holding Chadron to a pair of scattered singles while earning her seventh win (against two losses).

The wins upped the Mavericks record to 10-6 (8-4 RMAC). More importantly, the doubleheader sweep maintains Mesa State’s one-game lead in the RMAC West Division over Adams State.

Anita Diaz staked the Mavericks to a 1-0 lead when she punched a Casey Williams pitch over the right field fence. On the day, the sophomore went 4-for-5 at the plate and had three doubles and four RBIs plus the homer.

That was just the start.

An inning later Leslie Reed socked a two-run blast to the same spot. Nicole Zugina raised Mesa’s lead to 4-1 on a solo bomb to center. Diaz sealed the first game with a two-run double to left.

Mesa had seven hits in the opener. And were anxious to add to that total in game two.

Zuniga got the Mavericks off to a quick start when the senior whacked a Cassie Humphey pitch over the left field wall with Reed aboard.

Designated hitter Samatha Wyatt doubled the lead to 4-0 on the Mavericks’ second two-run dinger in as many innings.

Meagan Hennessey’s three-run homer in the third put Chadron into retreat. With the lead up to 7-0, Kristin Silva singled home Amanda Marchegino for Mesa’s fourth run of the inning.

The Mavericks take to the road this weekend for a four-game series at UCCS.

Reach Phil Sandoval at psandoval@gjfreepress.com.