GOLDEN, Colo. - Colorado School of Mines earned a win against Colorado Christian on Sunday to halve their final series of the regular season and head into the postseason on a high note.
The Orediggers finish the regular season at 28-24 and 22-18 in RMAC play, and head into the RMAC Tournament having taken two of four from the bracket's #2 seed in CCU. Mines, the #5 seed, will match up in the first round against MSU Denver on Thursday at a time to be announced; the tournament will be hosted by Colorado Mesa.
Clara Larson became the new Mines single-season RBI recordholder with a two-run double in game two, taking her total to 63 for the season. Her solo home run in game one tied her for the program season record in longballs with her 15th of the year.
Mines celebrated senior day on Sunday as well, recognizing
Brielle Asato,
Pua Fujinaga,
Hallie Smith, and
Sonoma Toot in between games. The quartet have won 91 games together and have made three RMAC Tournament appearances with a combined six all-RMAC awards between them.
GAME 1 - Colorado Christian 13, Mines 1 (5 inn.)
Colorado Christian produced 18 hits to generated 13 runs as they put on an offensive clinic to open the day with a 13-1 run-rule win.
CCU scored in every inning as their bats could not be tamed, with a 2-0 lead after two innings turning lopsided after four-spots in the third and fourth and three more runs in the fifth.
Mines' lone run came on a
Clara Larson solo home run in the first. The orediggers were held to five hits overall, two by Larson as
Kara Jones,
Kylie Redding, and
Loren Dempsey also reached.
Mines combined three pitchers with
Hallie Smith (9-11) throwing 3.1 innings,
Maddie Rogers tossing two outs in the fourth, and
Kylie Redding pitching the fifth. Kenzie Mattey (23-7) picked up the win in 3.2 innings with Sarah Probasco throwing 1.1 innings of scoreless relief.
GAME 2 - Mines 8, Colorado Christian 2
The Orediggers ended the regular season on the right note with a big response, beating CCU 8-2 in the afternoon.
Clara Larson went 3-for-3 with two RBI and three runs scored and
Katie Leiker and
Kylie Redding each drove in two to support another terrific start by
Claire Stringfellow, who struck out four in allowing two runs.
Mines got on the board quickly with
Kara Jones' single to drive in Larson in the first, but CCU tied it up in the third on an Alyssa Hanks RBI single. Mines retook the lead for good with a big third inning, plating four as
Loren Dempsey drove in Larson, Redding singled home
Pua Fujinaga and Leiker, and
Dani Valerio brought in Dempsey to lead 5-1.
Leiker's double in the fourth scored Larson to go up 6-1, and after CCU's Charlotte Romero made it 6-2 with an RBI single in the fifth, Larson iced the game with a two-run bloop double down the rightfield line to make it 8-2.
Stringfellow (14-6) was superb in earning her second win of the weekend, throwing 105 pitches and scattering eight hits in the start. CCU combined three pitchers with starter Kenzie Mattey going 4.2 innings, Jennifer Romero allowing four runs on only one out in the third, and Sarah Probasco pitching a perfect seventh.