GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. - Claire Smith's pinch-hit single in the bottom of the 9th capped an incredible comeback by Colorado School of Mines to beat MSU Denver, 7-6, in the RMAC Tournament opener.

The Orediggers' walk-off was the only fitting way to end a three-hour marathon that saw both teams lead with three ties during the first seven innings. Mines moves on to face the Colorado Mesa/CSU-Pueblo winner Friday at 10:45 a.m. in a winners' bracket game; MSU Denver will play the loser in an elimination game Thursday night.

Mines spotted MSU Denver a 3-0 lead as Jasmine Wessel hit a solo home run in the second and an RBI single from Ashlee Kim made it 2-0 before she scored on a wild pitch in the third. Larson solved the deficit with one swing in the bottom of the third, however, with a three-run shot to left center to make it 3-3.

Both teams continued to trade leads and ties after that. MSU Denver scored on Kim's RBI single in the fourth but it was quickly matched by Dani Valerio's infield single to score Megan Dickson; the Orediggers took their only lead of the game in the sixth when Boston Ludlow led off the inning with a home run to make it 5-4. Mines was two outs away from the win when Laney Sheppard singled in the tying run to force extras.

Mines had a chance to win in the eighth with the bases loaded and one out, but reliever Julia Heitz worked of trouble for Darby McGhee to double in the go-ahead run in the top of the ninth. Facing another deficit, the Orediggers put two on thanks to Kara Jones' walk and Ludlow's single, and that set up Dickson's game-tying single to give Mines new life. Smith then entered to pinch-hit and she roped an infield single past the pitcher with Ludlow beating the throw home to win it.

Claire Stringfellow (12-8) entered the game in the third and threw 125 pitches to pick up the win, allowing two earned off eight hits over seven innings. Sydney Marchando started and left after allowing three runs. The Roadrunners combined three pitchers with Darby McGhee starting and finishing the game; Destinee Lopez threw 3.2 innings in the middle and Julia Heitz (8-6) took the loss putting the winning run on base in the ninth.

NOTABLES
- Smith is the second different Oredigger rookie to provide a walk-off hit this season; Kendall Murphy's double did it in the bottom of the seventh against Colorado Mesa in March.
- Smith was making just her 21st plate appearance of the season and has now generated 6 RBI, all in pinch-hit situations.
- Larson tied Kaleigh Starr's record of 34 career home runs with her first postseason longball. Larson now has 34 home runs and 154 RBI in three seasons.
- Ludlow's home run was the second of her postseason career; she also went long in the RMAC Tournament first round against Adams State in 2017.
- It was Mines' seventh extra-inning game of the year and only second win in extras; the Orediggers avenged a 4-3, nine-inning loss to MSU Denver on April 20. 
- Both teams stranded nine runners.
- On the other side of the bracket, Dixie State defeated UCCS 9-4 and CCU blanked Regis 2-0 earlier on Thursday.