GOLDEN, Colo. - Colorado School of Mines finished off a series sweep of UCCS on Sunday, winning 5-4 and 3-0 to improve to 8-4 in RMAC play.
Clara Larson tied the Mines single-game record with three doubles in the opener, then added another in the second game as part of a 4-for-6, 3-RBI day, while
Pua Fujinaga drove in a pair and
Loren Dempsey had a multi-hit game to lead the Orediggers (14-10, 8-4 RMAC) at the plate).
Mines received strong pitching performances from
Maddie Rogers and
Hallie Smith as Rogers battled to a complete-game, four-strikeout win in the opener and Smith recorded her second win of the weekend with a five-strikeout shutout in the afternoon.
GAME 1 - Mines 5, UCCS 4
Clara Larson's three-double game led Mines as they edged UCCS 5-4 in the morning game.
Larson had doubles in three straight at-bats to start the game - generating a run on each - before walking in her fourth plate appearance to become the fifth Oredigger to have three two-baggers in a game, a group that includes teammate
Kara Jones who did it against MSU Denver last season.
Mines had to play from behind early in the game after Lexi Belligan singled in Missy Martinek to lead 1-0 in the first before Larson doubled in
Katie Leiker in Mines' first at-bat. UCCS went ahead again in the second on Saleen Quinonez's triple and Whitney Weber's RBI single, but Mines again answered with a Larson double, this time scoring
Brielle Asato, before Jones' sacrifice fly brought in Leiker and
Sonoma Toot singled in Larson to lead 4-3 after three.
UCCS then tied it up in the fourth with Leigh Lancaster's home run inside the left field foul pole, but Larson rose to the occasion yet again in the bottom of the fourth, doubling in
Dani Valerio for the 5-4 lead.
Meanwhile, Rogers put UCCS down in order in the sixth and survived a nervy seventh that saw UCCS put the go-ahead run on first with a two-out error before
Pua Fujinaga made the final out.
Rogers (3-2) had four strikeouts and allowed three earned on seven hits, while going walk-free. Christina Patton started for UCCS and took no decision as reliever Cami Duffy (5-7) allowed the go-ahead run in the fourth.
GAME 2 - Mines 3, UCCS 0
Hallie Smith's shutout secured the series sweep for Mines as they blanked UCCS 3-0 in the finale.
Smith struck out five while scattering four hits to record her 12th career shutout, giving her sole possession of second place on the Mines career list.
Pua Fujinaga drove in two of Mines' three runs as part of a 2-for-3 day.
Mines got on the board in the second inning as
Katie Leiker led off with a single and came home on Fujinaga's double to the rightfield corner to make it 1-0. Later in the inning, with the bases loaded,
CJ Bewley was hit by a pitch during a pinch-hit appearance to make it 2-0.
The Orediggers' insurance run came in the sixth as
Kara Jones led off with a double, and pinchrunner
Kelsey Buechler scored on a Fujinaga infield single later in the inning. That would be all Smith needed as she faced one over the minimum in the final three innings, including a 1-2-3 seventh.
Cami Duffy (5-7) departed in the second inning having allowed two earned. Taylor Reidhead threw 4.2 innings of relief and struck out four for UCCS.
NEXT UP
Mines stays at home to host Black Hills State next weekend.
