Ronny Mauricio's long homer powers Mets past Rockies 8-1

DENVER (AP) — Ronny Maurico hit his first homer of the season, a 456-foot shot into the second deck, Francisco Lindor had three hits and two stolen bases, and the New York Mets rolled past the Colorado Rockies 8-1 on Saturday night.

Jeff McNeil and Jared Young also homered and Brandon Nimmo and Luis Torrens each drove in two runs in a matchup of teams with the National League's best and worst records. New York, which is a season-high 17 games over .500 at 41-24, improved to 5-0 against Colorado this season.

Clay Holmes (7-3) gave up nine hits in six innings, but just one earned run. He had six strikeouts and no walks.

The loss dropped Colorado to 12-52, matching the 1932 Boston Red Sox for the worst 64-game start to an MLB season since 1901.

Ryan McMahon hit a solo home run in the fourth inning for Colorado's lone run. It snapped a 22-game homer drought for McMahon, who has 131 with the Rockies to pass Matt Holliday for 11th on the franchise's career list.

Germán Márquez (2-8) allowed eight hits and four earned runs in five innings for Colorado, which has scored just 10 runs in its five losses to New York this season.

Maurico gave the Mets a 1-0 lead in the third with his homer, the longest hit by New York this season.

Young’s homer broke a 1-1 tie and kickstarted a two-run fifth for the Mets, who led the rest of the way.

The Rockies’ measly offensive output wasn’t due to a lack of opportunities. Colorado went 0 for 8 with runners in scoring position.

Rookie RHP Chase Dollander (2-5, 6.26 ERA) will take the mound for Colorado against RHP Tylor Megill (4-4, 3.77) and the Mets on Sunday.

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New York Mets relief pitcher José Buttó works against the Colorado Rockies in the eighth inning of a baseball game Saturday, June 7, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

New York Mets' Francisco Lindor follows the flight of his single off Colorado Rockies relief pitcher Jimmy Herget in the eighth inning of a baseball game Saturday, June 7, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Members of the New York Mets gather to celebrate after defeating the Colorado Rockies in a baseball game Saturday, June 7, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

New York Mets' Ronny Mauricio gestures to the bullpen as he circles the bases after hitting a solo home run off Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Germán Márquez in the third inning of a baseball game Saturday, June 7, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

New York Mets' Ronny Mauricio gestures as he crosses home plate after hitting a solo home run off Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Germán Márquez in the third inning of a baseball game Saturday, June 7, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Tasia Fortune was apparently killed in a drug dispute before her body was hung in a tree in a “staged” lynching behind an abandoned home in the Mississippi capital this summer, a detective testified Friday.

Fortune was killed in a disagreement about drugs, and she fought hard with her attackers before she was killed, Jackson police Detective Samuel Dukes told the court. Citing the medical examiner's opinion, he also said the hanging was “staged.”

Fortune was Black, and the Aug. 3 discovery of her hanging body stoked fear and drew widespread attention because the scene recalled actual lynchings in the Southern state, which has a long and troubled history of racial violence.

Authorities haven’t disclosed the exact cause of Fortune’s death or said why they think her body was hanged afterward, but they ruled it a homicide and arrested two men, both of them also Black, on murder charges. They also issued an arrest warrant for an unnamed third person.

Outside court, Fortune’s mother, Christy Spivey, told reporters that she had been aware that her daughter died before her body was hanged. But that step, she added, “brought all the attention to it.”

“What bothered me was they said Tasia fought for her life. I know she did. I know my daughter,” Spivey said.

The hearing was meant to determine whether there is sufficient evidence to send the case against the first man arrested, Jarques Ratliff, to a grand jury for a possible indictment. It will resume Sept. 30.

Ratliff, 51, was arrested in mid-September and has pleaded not guilty. He remains jailed without bond. Police arrested a second defendant, 25-year-old Earnest Lloyd Jr., this week.

During Friday's hearing, Ratliff blurted out in court that he and Fortune were friends.

“It sounded sincere. Tasia had a lot of friends,” Spivey said later. “I hope if he is innocent that he can prove he’s innocent. We don’t want any innocent people going to jail.”

Ratliff’s stepdaughter, Lashuna Jones, was among her father's supporters at court.

“He didn’t do it, and I’m behind him,” she said.

Spivey has said her daughter, who had four children, struggled with homelessness in recent years, and that she wasn’t sure where Fortune was living at the time of her death. She said Fortune had talked about starting a cleaning business and was trying to get her life in order.

White reported from Detroit.

Christy Spivey poses with a portrait of her late daughter, Tasia Fortune, on Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2026, in Marion, Ky. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Christy Spivey poses with a portrait of her late daughter, Tasia Fortune, on Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2026, in Marion, Ky. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)