GAME 1 - MINES 8, MSU DENVER 3
Mines used three big innings to power past MSU Denver in Saturday's opener, winning 8-3.
The Orediggers out-hit the Roadrunners 12-4 behind
Sydney Marchando's gem, as the offense put up two runs in the first and then three each in the third and sixth to run away with the game.
Kara Jones' 2-for-4, 3-RBI game led the way as
Boston Ludlow added two RBI and the top four batters in the lineup -
Kendall Murphy,
Katie Leiker,
Clara Larson, and Jones - each had two-hit games.
After giving up three runs in the first, Marchando was lights out, retiring 12 of the last 13 batters faced as she scattered four hits and allowed only one earned to improve to 13-3.
MSU Denver's runs all came in the first as Megan Sansburn homered and Koryna Wright drove in two runs with a double, but Mines quickly answered with two runs in their first at-bat. Lead-off singles by Murphy and Leiker led to runs on an RBI single by Jones and Ludlow drawing a bases-loaded hit-by-pitch, cutting the deficit to 3-2. In the third, Mines took the lead thanks to back-to-back double from Ludlow and
Megan Dickson, making it 5-3.
Mines tacked on insurance runs in the sixth courtesy of Murphy's single to plate
Stefanie Brunello and Jones' two-run double to right. That was all the Orediggers needed as Marchando cruised, putting up 1-2-3 frames in the fourth, fifth, and sixth innings and not allowing a hit after the third.
MSU Denver combined Darby McGhee (9-11) and Destinee Lopez, who each pitched three innings. McGhee was touched for five earned runs and Lopez three.
GAME 2 - MSU DENVER 4, MINES 3 (9 inn.)
Mines and MSU Denver battled in a dramatic extra-innings game to wrap up the weekend as the Roadrunners' Laney Sheppard homered in the top of the ninth to help them to a 4-3 victory.
All of Mines' scoring was done on one swing of
Katie Leiker's bat in the third as the senior popped her fourth home run of the season to dead center in the game's first runs. Ari Valdez's two-run single in the fourth cut the lead to 3-2, and MSU Denver tied the game in their final at-bat as Rebecca Gonzales' bases-loaded hit in the seventh made it 3-3 to force extras.
Both teams went down in order in the eighth, but MSU Denver found the breakthrough in the ninth as Sheppard homered to center with one out to lead 4-3.
Dani Valerio lead off with a bunt single in the bottom half of the ninth, but Mines couldn't convert her into a run.
MSU Denver combined three pitchers with starter Julia Heitz departing in the fifth allowing three runs; Destinee Lopez threw 2.1 innings of scoreless ball as did Darby McGhee (10-11), who eventually earned the win. Mines started
Claire Stringfellow left with the lead in the seventh but was charged with three runs;
Sydney Marchando took the loss (13-4) in relief.
Leiker ended up 3-for-4 with 3 RBI to lead the Mines offense as Murphy also picked up two hits.
NEXT UP
Mines will host CSU-Pueblo in the regular-season finale starting Friday at noon.
