Mines vs. Fort Lewis, Saturday, 12/2 p.m. [RMAC Network] [Live Stats]
Mines vs. Fort Lewis, Sunday, 11 a.m./1 p.m. [RMAC Network] [Live Stats]
 

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THE WEEKEND AHEAD
With both teams out to a 3-1 RMAC start, Mines hosts Fort Lewis for a four-game series this weekend in Golden. The weather looks to be cooperative with forecast highs in the 50s on both Saturday and Sunday.  

FOLLOW ONLINE
Every Mines home game can be seen live and for free on the RMAC Network at www.minesathletics.com/tv. The RMAC Network can also be found on Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire and Android TV devices by going to the app store and searching "RMAC". Fans can also follow @MinesSoftball on Twitter for live in-game updates.

TICKETS
New this season, fans can purchase digital tickets online in advance via Mines' new ticketing portal, or buy them at the gate on game day. Ticket pricing is $10 for adults and $5 for seniors, military, and children. Mines students, faculty, and staff are free with their Blaster Card. No dogs (except service animals) are permitted in the Clear Creek Athletic Complex. Weekend parking on campus is free.

LAST WEEKEND
Mines opened RMAC play by taking three of four against UCCS in Colorado Springs. Mines swept Friday's games 4-2 and 10-9, then run-ruled the Mountain Lions 13-4 to open Saturday before losing 11-6. The Mines bats were on fire, slugging .523 as a team led by Clara Larson, who slashed .455/.538/1.000 with nine RBI and two home runs for the series, and Kailey Robb, who broke out to slug 1.111 with a .643 on-base percentage including two homers and five walks in the four games. Sydney Marchando led the Mines pitching staff with a 2-0 weekend but also helped herself at the plate, scoring a team-best seven runs and getting on base at a .533 clip out of the leadoff spot.  

IN THE PRESEASON POLL
The RMAC preseason coaches' poll was unveiled in late January as Mines was selected fifth. The Orediggers (28-21 overall, 25-12 RMAC in 2019) finished fourth in last year's regular-season standings and made the RMAC Tournament. Dixie State led the poll by two points over Colorado Mesa, with Colorado Christian third and MSU Denver fourth ahead of Mines.

MARCHANDO EARNS RMAC NOD
Sydney Marchando was named the RMAC Pitcher of the Week on Tuesday for the first time in her career. Marchando went 2-0 with a 1.75 ERA at UCCS, striking out a career-high 10 with one earned run allowed in Friday's complete-game win; on Saturday, she bounced back from two earned runs allowed in the first to throw four scoreless innings as Mines run-ruled UCCS in five. She tallied 14 strikeouts over 12 innings, and was the first Oredigger pitcher since 2013 to strike out double digits in a game.

MOVING ON UP
In her senior season, Clara Larson is moving up the Mines record book in nearly every hitting category. Earlier this month she became the seventh player to reach 200 career hits, and she's seventh all-time at Mines with 209. She owns the career home runs mark of 37, and she also ranks among the career leaders with 142 runs (4th), 51 doubles (2nd), 10 triples (sixth), 173 RBI (2nd), and 52 walks (tied for ninth). She is quickly coming up on the Mines RBI record of 182 held by Katie Kocman (2006-09); with 173 she has also cracked the RMAC all-time top 10 list, and her next double would do the same.

MASHING TATERS
Through the first nine games of the season, the Orediggers hit just one home run. That power outage came to a halt at UCCS as Mines smashed five home runs in the series, including two each by Clara Larson and Kailey Robb and another from Stefanie Brunello. Mines slugged .523 as a team in the series with 11 extra-base hits in total.

MINES VS. FORT LEWIS [Series: Mines, 66-56)
Mines and Fort Lewis renew a series that dates back to 1984, with the Orediggers owning a 66-56 all-time advantage. Mines has won nine of the last 10 including a series sweep in 2017, three of four in 2018, and both games in a three-team pod last year. In 2019, Mines blanked FLC 7-0 and 5-0 on shutouts by Claire Stringfellow and Sydney Marchando; Marchando struck out seven and allowed just three hits in her start. Clara Larson drove in a combined five RBI in the two games.

LOOKING AHEAD
Mines heads across the Rockies to visit Colorado Mesa on March 7-8.