GOLDEN, Colo. - An offensive outburst in game two earned Colorado School of Mines a key doubleheader split with Chadron State after being edged in the opener.
The Eagles (21-19, 18-11 RMAC) beat the Orediggers (23-13, 20-10 RMAC) 2-1 in game one, but Mines answered back with an 11-3, five-inning victory later in the day.The series is pitting two of the top four teams in the RMAC with Mines a game up on the Eagles for third place in the standings.
GAME ONE - Chadron 2, Mines 1
Chadron State's go-ahead run in the sixth was enough as the Eagles edged Mines 2-1 in the series opener.
Allie Mason drew a bases-loaded walk in the sixth to put CSC ahead after both teams scored a single run in the fourth to break up a pitchers' duel between
Maddie Rogers and Jessica Jarecki.
Chadron went ahead when pinchrunner Kendyl Moody scored on a throwing error in the fourth; Mines canceled it out with
Pua Fujinaga's RBI single to score
Boston Ludlow in the bottom half.
In the sixth, Rogers issued a pair of walks before being relieved by
Claire Stringfellow, who walked the only batter she faced.
Hallie Smith then came in to close but walked Mason before working out of the bases-loaded jam with two straight groundouts. Mines threatened a comeback in the seventh as
Kelsey Buechler's lead-off pinch-hit bunt single put her on, but she was out at third on
Kara Jones' fielder's choice after being sacrificed over by Fujinaga, and Mines left the winning run at the plate.
Jarecki (11-6) struck out seven and allowed six hits in the win. Smith took the loss in 1.2 innings of relief; Rogers was unlucky to get a decision in a 5.1 inning start, allowing one earned on three hits.
GAME TWO - Mines 11, Chadron State 3 (5 inn.)
A monster nine-run third inning put the game out of reach as Mines run-ruled Chadron State in the afternoon, 11-3.
Mines generated 14 hits in only four at-bats, with
Paige Noehring going 4-for-4 with three RBI and
Kara Jones driving in two. Mines batted around to score nine in the third off nine hits and a pair of Eagle errors, and four CSC miscues meant only two of Mines' 11 runs were earned in the game.
The Orediggers bounced back from a messy first inning that saw CSC score a run off two Mines errors, but they got the run back in the second when
Paige Noehring singled up the middle to plate
Pua Fujinaga after the latter reached on an error.
In the third,
Sonoma Toot singled in
Katie Leiker and
Kara Jones doubled in Toot and
Boston Ludlow, and freshman
Stefanie Brunello knocked in her first career RBI with a double to plate Jones. That chased starter Kinsley Mason, but Mines wasn't done scoring as they put runs across on each of the next five at-bats. Noehring tripled,
Kara Walling and Leiker singled,
Clara Larson doubled, and Ludlow singled to add five more runs as Mines batted around in the frame.
Noehring's fourth-inning double to score Brunello added what proved to be a key run as Taylor Bauer homered in the top of the fifth to cut the lead to 11-3; Noehring's run kept the edge at eight to invoke the run rule.
Hallie Smith (12-6) picked up the win, scattering four hits with a pair of strikeouts.
NEXT UP
Mines and Chadron State finish their series Saturday at 11 a.m. on StrikeOut Cancer Day.
