Finally, the pressure’s off. And Mesa State can breathe.

After chasing Metro State for more than half the baseball season, the Mavericks overcame what looked like an insurmountable four-game lead in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference’s West Division. Mesa’s 15-6 win on Sunday completed a weekend series sweep in which the Mavs snatched the regular-season pennant out from under the Roadrunners’ bills.

To go with the sweep, Mesa also gets to host the postseason RMAC tournament at Suplizio Field. The tournament starts Wednesday.

“What a feat by these guys,” said Mesa head coach Chris Hanks of the Mavericks’ late-season surge.

“They were chasing Metro all year long. This was just a super challenge, and our guys rose to the occasion and got it done.”

Given a 2-0 lead to work with on back-to-back RBI singles from Matt Miller and Kyle Houge, Mesa starting pitcher Jason Fronczak breezed his way through the Roadrunners lineup.

As the Mavericks continued to add runs to their total, Fronczak responded by retiring the first 13 batters he faced before giving up a fifth-inning walk to Metro designated hitter Jordan Stouffer.

Mesa State scored solo runs in the second and third to go up 4-0. In the fourth, the Mavericks broke loose.

In the process of sending 10 hitters to plate and scoring six times, senior Curtis Englehart, who had five hits in as many at bats, provided the key blow of the rally — a two-run single that chased Metro starter Ted Jamison from the game.

Up 10-0 at that point, Fronczak lost his bid at a no-hitter when Josh Marner ripped a single to right. Possibly bothered by the turn of events, the Mavericks junior loaded the bases after giving up a second hit to Josh Marner.

Mesa’s defense bailed Fronczak out when Houge, the Mavericks’ third baseman, forced Stouffer out at the plate came on a flawed squeeze bunt. The play allowed Fronczak to end the threat on an inning-ending popup to Houge.

The Mavericks raised their lead to 12-0 in the fifth before Metro roughed up Fronczak for a pair of home runs. Fronczak continued to pitch before turning things over to Freddie Hampe to wrap up in the ninth.

Hampe struggled in his two-thirds innings of relief. He allowed four earned runs which in turn made Hanks bring in Kevin Chritz to get the final out.

“I thought Freddie made some great pitches,” Hanks said. “They got some hits and they kept fighting.”

Hanks also chalked up the gut-wretching ninth inning as a normal occurrence.

“It’s just college baseball,” he said. “It’s metal bats and playing in a little bit altitude. I turned to (assistant) coach (Landon) Wareham and the other coaches in the top of the ninth and said: ‘I’m not comfortable.’

“Everyone said you have to get three outs, and that third out is an absolute booger.”