GOLDEN, Colo. -
Clara Larson's walk-off extra-innings home run helped Mines take two from MSU Denver on Saturday.
The Orediggers (27-13 / 24-10 RMAC) cut their deficit to the second-place Roadrunners (34-15 / 26-8 RMAC) to two games with a 7-5 win in the opener and a 3-2, eight-inning victory to end the day.
Hallie Smith tied the RMAC single-season saves record with her seventh in finishing game one for
Claire Stringfellow, who improved to 9-3. In the nightcap, Smith took no decision with
Maddie Rogers (5-4) pitching a drama-packed eighth to get the win.
GAME ONE - Mines 7, MSU Denver 5
Mines went up early and held off a late charge by MSU Denver to win the series opener 7-5.
Katie Leiker drove in five of Mines' runs, including what would prove to be the game-winning runs in the fourth, as the Orediggers pounded out 13 hits.
Claire Stringfellow (9-3) struck out five in a six-inning start to get the win.
Leiker put Mines on the board in the first with a three-run homer to left, taking advantage of lead-off singles by
Paige Noehring and
Kara Walling. The Roadrunners answered with two runs in the second and the tying run on Carissa Terry's solo homer in the fourth, making it 3-3.
The tie didn't last last long. In the bottom of the fourth, the Orediggers went ahead on an unusual play with
Stefanie Brunello bunting past the defense to the left side and into the space left uncovered by the shortstop, allowing
Pua Fujinaga to score from second after her lead-off double. That started a three-run rally as Leiker smacked a two-run single to plate Walling and Brunello, making it 6-3. Mines added an insurance run when
Clara Larson drove in Brunello in the sixth.
In the seventh, the Roadrunners drew a lead-off walk before Hayley Fields went yard to cut the Mines lead to 7-5, and Stringfellow departed for
Hallie Smith. The Roadrunners eventually loaded the bases with two outs, but Fujinaga snagged a sharp liner at third to end the threat and secure the 7-5 win.
Smith's seventh save came with two hits and a strikeout. Stringfellow allowed five over six innings. Cassidy Smith (11-9) took the loss, allowing six runs over 3.1 innings, with Darby McGhee throwing the balance.
In addition to Leiker's big game, Walling went 4-for-4 at the plate, scoring two runs, and Noehring, Leiker,
Sonoma Toot, and Fujinaga had two-hit games.
GAME TWO - Mines 3, MSU Denver 2 (8 inn.)
Freshman
Clara Larson's walk-off home run in the eighth gave Mines a drama-packed win in game two.
In a back-and-forth contest, Mines never trailed but gave up the lead in the seventh as the Roadrunners clawed back on their final out to send it to extras.
In a duel between two of the RMAC's best pitchers in
Hallie Smith and Hayley Fields, runs were at a premium as regulation ended 2-2. Mines got on the board with two runs in the second as
Kara Jones singled in
Boston Ludlow, and
Sonoma Toot scored on a throwing error back to the pitcher after
Stefanie Brunello's walk later in the inning.
Megan Sansburn scored on an error in the fifth to make it 2-1, and the visitors forced extras on Brooke Lovas' single with two outs in the seventh to tie it 2-2.
Maddie Rogers came in to throw the eighth, and a hit and an error put two runners on for MSU Denver. Rogers induced a flyout before another error loaded the bases with one out, but the sophomore worked the problem with two straight strikeouts, whiffing McGhee and Harley Huser to get out of the jam.
It then took only two pitches for Mines to win as Larson grooved a 1-0 pitch over the fence in left for her 10th dinger of the year and first career walk-off home run.
Smith took no decision, allowing one earned through seven with two strikeouts. Rogers ended up with the win to improve to 5-4, striking out two allowing one hit in the eighth. Fields (14-4) took just her fourth loss of the year allowing all three runs.
NEXT UP
Mines and MSU Denver finish their series Sunday in the Orediggers' home finale and Senior Day starting at 11 a.m.
