GAME 1 - MINES 10, MSU DENVER 6
Colorado School of Mines opened its new home field with a wild come-from-behind, 10-6 win over MSU Denver to open their RMAC series.
Playing a true home game for the first time in nearly a year, the Orediggers rallied back from a 5-3 deficit with a seven-run sixth, keyed by back-to-back home runs from
Katie Leiker and
Clara Larson. Leiker ended up with three RBI while Larson went 3-for-4 with two RBI;
Loren Dempsey also drove in two.
Claire Stringfellow (11-7) picked up the win in relief of
Sydney Marchando, who departed in the sixth having allowed three earned through 5.1 IP after carrying a no-hitter into the fourth.
Mines got on the board quickly as
Kendall Murphy collected the first hit at the new ballpark - a double to the right-center gap - before scoring on Larson's single later in the inning. The Orediggers extended the lead in the third when
Kara Jones' sacrifice fly plated Leiker before
Boston Ludlow drove in Larson on a single to center.
The Roadrunners chipped away with a run each in the fourth and fifth to trail 3-2, but broke the game open in the sixth with three runs on three hits to lead 5-3. The lead was short-lived, however, as Mines batted around in a a wild bottom of the sixth to put the game away. With two outs,
Stefanie Brunello walked and
Dani Valerio was hit by a pitch, and Kylee Burnside entered to pitch for Darby McGhee. Her first batter faced was Murphy, who reached on a booted ball by the second baseman to allowed Brunello to score; Leiker then launced a three-run homer to left center and Larson followed her with a solo shot to left, turning it into an 8-5 game. The inning continued with
Loren Dempsey's two-run double before McGhee re-entered to pitch and got out of the inning.
The Roadrunners threatened in the top of the seventh with a Laney Sheppard double to score a run, but Stringfellow got a strikeout and a groundout to end the game.
McGhee pitched 6.0 innings and left with the lead to take no decision, allowing three earned. Burnside (3-8) took the loss allowing five runs - all unearned - in the sixth.
GAME 2 - MSU DENVER 4, MINES 3
MSU Denver held on for a 4-3 win in Friday's second game as missed opportunities cost Mines in the loss.
The Orediggers (23-16, 22-9 RMAC) stranded nine baserunners, including leaving the bases loaded in the fourth and fifth, as they couldn't catch the Roadrunners (23-24, 18-11 RMAC) after spotting them a three-run early lead.
Mines actually out-hit MSUD 8-6 led by two-hit games from
Katie Leiker and
Stefanie Brunello; Brunello drove in two runs. Jasmine Wessel went 2-for-3 with 3 RBI to lead MSU Denver, who split two effective pitching performances between Julia Heitz and Destinee Lopez (4-1).
The Roadrunners wasted no time in getting off to a fast start, plating three runs in the first courtesy of Wessel's two-run double and Koryna Wright's RBI single. Mines got two runs back in the second when Brunello tripled in
Hana Mawlawi and
Loren Dempsey to make it 3-2, but the Roadrunners answered with a Wessel RBI groundout in the third to lead 4-2.
The Orediggers loaded the bases in the fourth and fifth but came away empty-handed, and put runners on second and third again in the sixth before
Kendall Murphy's sacrifice fly got a run back. Mines couldn't capitalize in the final two innings, however, as the Roadrunners held on for the 4-3 win.
Claire Stringfellow (11-8) went the distance and battled all game, allowing four earned off six hits. Lopez ended up with the win in relief allowing one unearned run on two hits in 3.1 innings; Heitz departed with two outs in the fourth having allowed two runs on six hits.
NEXT UP
Mines and MSU Denver wrap up their series Saturday with a twinbill starting at 11 a.m.
