GAME 1: MINES 10, COLORADO CHRISTIAN 2 (5 inn.)
Colorado School of Mines jumped all over Colorado Christian in Monday's first game, scoring in every inning to run-rule the Cougars 10-2.
Clara Larson homered twice to drive in three runs and
Kara Jones also drove in three including a long ball to lead an 11-hit attack for the Orediggers.
Sydney Marchando allowed five hits and took a shutout into the fifth to improve to 12-3 this season.
Jones' three-run homer, her first of the season, got things started in the first, and
Kendall Murphy drove in
Hana Mawlawi with a second-inning single to make it 4-0. Larson led off the third with her first bomb of the day, and Mines put the game out of reach in the fourth as
Dani Valerio scored after Murphy singled, Larson jacked a two-run shot to center, and
Megan Dickson doubled in Jones to lead 9-0.
Mines picked up a key insurance run in the top of the fifth when
Stefanie Brunello plated after Valerio reached on an error, making it 10-0, and that rendered Piper Lujan's two-run home run in the bottom half meaningless as the Orediggers held the eight-run margin after five.
Marchando struck out three to pick up the win as she faced 23 batters. Jennifer Romero (11-5) allowed all 10 runs off 11 hits.
GAME 2: MINES 8, COLORADO CHRISTIAN 5
Two big innings that took advantage of CCU defensive miscues helped Mines win the series finale, 8-5, to halve the weekend.
Mines produced a dozen hits led by three-hit games from
Boston Ludlow and
Megan Dickson. Six different players had a run batted in;
Katie Leiker scored three runs, including a homer in the sixth. Mines took advantage of three CCU errors in the game.
Claire Stringfellow hung tough to improve to 10-7, while
Sydney Marchando came in and earned two strikeouts in the 7th to pick up her first career save.
Both Stringfellow and CCU starter Makena Martin were tough in the early innings with the game scoreless through two, but things quickly picked up as Mines struck in the third.
Kara Jones reached on a fielder's choice while an errant throw by the shortstop trying to get Leiker at third allowed her to score for a 1-0 lead, but CCU immediately responded with two RBI singles in the bottom half of the frame to go up 2-1.
Mines busted the game open in the fifth with four runs after loading the bases with no outs. Jones drew a walk to tie it before Ludlow blooped a single to score another;
Loren Dempsey's pinch-hit single made it 4-2, and
Stefanie Brunello's sac fly extended it to 5-2.
CCU roared back with a Charlotte Romero RBI single and Kacie Burger sac fly in the fifth to cut it to 5-4, but Mines shut the door in the sixth with three more runs. Leiker's home run got the rally going before Dickson drove in Jones and Mawlawi's reach on an error allowed Ludlow to score. In the seventh, Stephanie Day led off with a home run to make it 8-5, but Marchando entered the game and got a fly out and two strikeouts to end the game with the bases loaded.
Stringfellow allowed five runs on 104 pitches; Marchando issued a walk but had the two K's in a hitless seventh. Martin (3-3) allowed four earned on eight total runs and walked three; Mines batters did not strikeout in the game.
SERIES NOTES
- Mines improved to 22-15 overall and 21-8 in RMAC play. The Orediggers remain behind CCU (29-12, 22-6 RMAC) for second in the conference.
- Mines has now at least split with each of the other top three teams in the RMAC, beating Colorado Mesa twice, CCU twice, and Dixie State three times.
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Kendall Murphy extended her reached-base streak to 36 games. She also improved her hitting streak to a team-high eight games.
- Larson had a terrific series, slugging 1.231 and hitting .538 with five extra-base hits. Her two homer game was the third of her career; she now has 32 dingers and is two shy of tying the Mines career record.
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Kara Jones led Mines on the series with five RBI; she also made her first start of the year behind the dish in the final game.
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Megan Dickson had a breakout series hitting .533 (8-for-15) with 4 RBI and a home run.
NEXT UP
Mines will open its new and improved home field Friday, beginning a four-game set with MSU Denver at noon. The series will be played Friday-Saturday due to Easter Sunday.
