GOLDEN – Senior Molly Thiebaut gave the NFCA No. 13 Colorado School of Mines softball team its first and only lead in Saturday's finale against Black Hills State, capping a 6-5 come-from-behind win at the CSM Softball Field with a two-out, walk-off single in the seventh inning.
With runners on second and third, Thiebaut fell behind 0-2 in the count, but eventually worked the sequence full fouling off seven pitches before drilling the 11th pitch of the at-bat past the shortstop and sending junior Sami Springer home for the game-winning score.
The Orediggers were held to just one run and two hits over the first four innings as the Yellow Jackets (4-21, 3-15 RMAC) built a 5-1 advantage through the top of the fifth. Mines (27-4-1, 18-2 RMAC) rallied with seven hits in the final three frames, sending one run across in the fifth inning, three in the sixth and the go-ahead run in the seventh.
Along with Thiebaut, five other Orediggers drove in a run as junior Courtney Derus and senior Kamee Vessey each went 1-for-4; senior Macy Jones was 1-for-3 with one run scored and a walk and freshman Elise Dugwyler finished 1-for-1 with two runs and one walk. Sophomore Paige Coufal recorded a pinch-hit sacrifice fly to left field in the sixth to score junior Morgan Anderson.
Benefitting from the late-inning rallies was senior Kelly Unkrich who collected the win in relief, throwing 1.2 innings of one-hit ball with one walk and two strikeouts. With her second win of the afternoon, Unkrich improved to 17-1 on the season and moved into a tie for the all-time RMAC wins mark, equaling Amanda Kelly (1997-00) of Nebraska-Kearney with her 61st career victory in the circle.
The RMAC and program career leader in wins, starts (95), complete games (77), innings pitched (648.2) and saves (10), Unkrich currently tops the conference in wins, strikeouts (129), ERA (0.85) and saves (3).
Senior Ashley Goletz (10-3) earned a no-decision in the start, tossing 5.1 innings with four earned runs and eight hits allowed, while striking out three.
The teams close the four-game series Sunday with an 11 a.m./1 p.m. doubleheader.
