GOLDEN, Colo. - Colorado School of Mines and Fort Lewis split their series-opening doubleheader on Saturday as the Skyhawks rode pitching to a game 1 win before Mines took a wild back-and-forth game 2.
SCHEDULE NOTE
Sunday's doubleheader has been pushed up to a 10 a.m. start due to incoming weather in the afternoon.
GAME 1 - FORT LEWIS 5, MINES 2
Fort Lewis' Mandy Lorenson threw a three-hit complete game to stymie Colorado School of Mines in the series opener, 5-2.
The Orediggers received two hits from
Renata Boyd and another from
Clara Larson, but couldn't solve Lorenson (1-2), who struck out eight and did not allow a walk.
An error allowed FLC's first run to come across in the second, and Brianna Leavell's two-run home run in the third made it 3-0 Skyhawks. Boyd's double in the bottom of the third was Mines' first hit of the game, and after a steal of third, she beat a tag home to cut the deficit to 3-1.
Fort Lewis answered with Leavell's RBI double down the line and a Kelly Decker RBI single in the fifth to lead 5-1. Mines got something going in the seventh with
Clara Larson's lead-off triple, and she scored on a passed ball, but the Orediggers ultimately couldn't catch up.
Sydney Marchando (4-3) battled allowing five runs but just two earned and struck out four in not allowing a walk in five innings.
Lauren Decker was effective with two innings of scoreless relief.
GAME 2 - MINES 9, FORT LEWIS 8
A wild seventh inning saw Fort Lewis erase a big deficit before Mines won in walk-off fashion to end Saturday with a 9-8 victory.
Megan Dickson and
Clara Larson homered and
Renata Boyd drove in three runs while
Sam Wade and
Lauren Decker each had three-hit games, but it took a Fort Lewis mistake in the bottom of the seventh to help Mines to the win.
The Orediggers entered the seventh up 7-3 before the Skyhawks batted around for five runs and an 8-7 lead; in the bottom of the seventh,
Stefanie Brunello's double scored Decker to make it 8-8 before she scored on a throwing error later in the inning.
Dickson's towering shot to left field to lead off the second got Mines on the board, and Decker and Boyd both singled in runs before Larson drilled a no-doubter down the leftfield line to make it a 5-0 Oredigger lead after two.
FLC chipped away with single runs in the third, fourth, and fifth before Boyd drove in two Decker and Dickson on a bases-loaded single in the fifth to lead 7-3.
The Skyhawks would not go away as they manufactured five runs in their final at bat, ultimately taking the lead 8-7 on Mackenzie Parks' sacrifice fly. That left Mines needing production out of the bottom of its lineup, and that's exactly what it got as Decker led off with a single and then scored on Brunello's double to the fence to ensure, at worst, extra innings.
Hana Mawlawi's single pushed Brunello over to third, and with one out, Larson flew out to shallow right; Brunello stayed at third but the rightfielder put her throw home over the catcher's head and into the fence, allowing Brunello to score uncontested for the win.
Claire Stringfellow took no decision, allowing eight runs (four earned) with three strikeouts as she departed a tie game in the seventh;
Kylie Redding (2-0) ended up with the win as she got all three outs in the seventh. FLC starter Brianna Leavell was chased in the second but Emily Morris was effective in relief until the seventh, when Mandy Lorenson (1-3) entered and allowed the tying and winning runs.
