DENVER, Colo. - Colorado School of Mines split the final day of its series with Black Hills State, falling in the opener 5-4 but rallying for a 3-0 shutout in the finale in Denver.

The Orediggers won the series over BHSU, 2-1, to open RMAC play. Mines now stands at 3-8 overall.

GAME 1 - BLACK HILLS STATE 5, MINES 4
A sixth-inning comeback by Black Hills State erased a 4-2 Mines lead and handed the Yellow Jackets a 5-4 win in the day's opening game. 

Kendall Murphy and Kelsey Buechler each had two hits while Clara Larson and Buechler drove in runs. Mines capitalized on walks and errors to score two runs as well. 

BHSU went up 2-0 in the first on a Brittany Henricksen single and a later error that allowed Kindall Bethke to come across. Mines answered in the third as Murphy singled and moved to second after Katie Leiker was hit by a pitch, and Murphy scored when Clara Larson singled into center. On the next at-bat with runners on the corners, Larson stole second but the ball got away from the second baseman, allowing Leiker to come home and tie the game 2-2.

Mines added runs in the fifth and sixth, first as Buechler scored on a passed ball in the fifth after her lead-off single, and then as Buechler legged out an infield single to score Sam Wade after she doubled earlier in the inning. Everything unraveled for the Orediggers in the bottom of the sixth, however, as BHSU plated three runs to take the lead. The Yellow Jackets loaded the bases with no outs before a walk scored their first run, and pitcher Alex Wiley helped herself with a go-ahead two-run single to lead 5-4.

Mines wasted a solid start by Kylie Redding, who went five innings and struck out three allowing three earned. Claire Stringfellow (1-3) suffered the loss allowing one run in the sixth. Alex Wiley (3-3) allowed two earned out of four runs in the complete-game win.

GAME 2 - MINES 3, BLACK HILLS STATE 0
Sydney Marchando threw her first career complete-game shutout to power Mines in a 3-0 win to cap the series.

Marchando struck out three and scattered four hits, carrying a one-hitter into the fifth, in a superb effort as the Mines offense backed her up with nine hits, including Megan Dickson's two-run home run and doubles by Kendall Murphy, Clara Larson, and Kara Jones. Larson went 3-for-4 in the game while Dickson had two hits and Murphy collected a hit with two walks. 

Mines got on the board in the second, loading the bases on hits by Dickson and Kelsey Buechler and a walk by Hana Mawlawi, setting up Murphy to draw a two-out walk to lead 1-0. The game stayed that way until the fifth when the Orediggers flashed their power to increase the lead. Larson led off with a double to left, and two batters later, Dickson grooved a no-doubter to left, her first of the year, to make it a 3-0 lead.

That would be all Mines needed as BHSU never seriously threatened until the seventh; the Yellow Jackets had a lead-off single and a hit batter to put two on, but Marchando induced an infield fly before Buechler made a phenomenal catch on the run at the foul pole in the left and Katie Leiker charged a lineout to center to end the game.

NEXT UP
Mines will take on New Mexico Highlands beginning Saturday; scheduled to be a home series, those games have shifted to the University of Northern Colorado due to continued construction at Mines' home field.