Colorado Mesa’s backs are against the wall as the team chases its first RMAC softball tournament title in six years.

The top-seeded Mavericks were thumped 8-0 by Regis in their first game of the RMAC Tournament on Thursday at the CMU Softball Field. The loss brings and to the Mavericks’ 33-game winning streak.

The nation’s hottest-hitting team was doused with ice. The lineup mustered only one hit and four base runners, was no-hit until the fourth inning and was shut out for the first time since the season’s second game three months ago.

CMU plays CSU-Pueblo today at 10 a.m. in an elimination game.

“Everything went their way,” said Mesa coach Mercedes Bohte. “Strike zone was a little bit bigger for them, balls just found holes. They got 12 singles. They didn’t get any doubles, triples or home runs. It was just singles. They got their bunts down, we didn’t. Again, everything went their way and sometimes that happens.”

The Rangers (30-24) came out of the gates swinging. Though six of their first seven batters were retired, only one of those were by strikeouts. The floodgates opened once those swings straightened out in the third inning.

Regis scored four runs in the inning on six hits and Preslee Christensen, who was honored before the game as the RMAC Pitcher of the Year, was pulled after 2⅓ innings.

Colorado Mesa’s lone hit came in the fourth inning. Ally Distler was hit by a 1-0 pitch and Miranda Pruitt blooped a single down the left-field line with one out.

But the next out was one of the seven strikeouts on the day for the Mavericks (43-8).

“When you get one hit it’s hard to say a lot of great things (about our plate approach). We can’t strike out as much,” Bohte said.

So now the Mavericks again find themselves on the brink of elimination. They closed the regular season last week with a sweep of the ThunderWolves (22-34), three of which were mercy-rule wins.

In order to win the RMAC Tournament title, CMU must win five straight games in the next two days.