GOLDEN, Colo. - Colorado School of Mines and CSU Pueblo split their RMAC-opening doubleheader on Sunday, with Mines rallying for a 7-6 win in the first game before the Thunderwolves ran away with a 13-3 victory later in the day.

GAME 1
Mines bounced back from a 6-4 deficit in the sixth inning to take the series opener 7-6.

Stefanie Brunello and Clara Larson homered back-to-back in the first while Aubree Karraker drove in two runs, including the game-tying RBI single in the sixth. Kylie Redding's bunt single to score Brunello in the bottom of the sixth provided the go-ahead run.

Sydney Marchando (1-1) battled to her first win of the season, striking out five in the complete-game after taking a no-hitter into the fourth. CSUP starter Taylor Strupp left the game in the sixth, and Sophia Lishner (1-1) took the loss allowing Mines' seventh run.

Mines got off to a great start in the first when Brunello punished a 3-2 pitch to deep left-center, and Larson hit the 40th home run of her career one pitch later to make it 2-0. Karraker's sacrifice fly in the second padded the lead at 3-0.

After Marchando retired the first 10 batters she faced, Marissa Piatt had the Thunderwolves' first hit of the game with her two-run homer to center in the fourth, but Mines got a run back in the bottom half when Karraker grounded out to plate Marchando.

CSU Pueblo rallied for two runs in both the fifth and sixth innings to take control of the game; an error allowed Katelynn Ralston to score before Jessica Teller doubled in Odalis Jackson in the fifth, and Melissa Torrez's double and Ralston's single made it 6-4 in the sixth.

That left Mines looking for runs in the bottom of the sixth, and they quickly found them. Karraker led off with a bunt and ended up on third when Sidney Wilson reached on an error; after the pitching change, Brunello sliced a single through the left side to score one run, then Wilson tied the game on Krueger's single two batters later. Redding then put down the squeeze bunt with Brunello on third to take the lead 7-6.

Marchando worked a 1-2-3 seventh to seal the win.

GAME 2
A huge nine-run seventh inning by CSU Pueblo dashed Mines' hopes of another comeback as the Thunderwolves won 13-3.

Mines trailed by just a run, 4-3, heading into the final inning, but CSU Pueblo produced six hits and took advantage of three Oredigger errors to blow the game open.

Clara Larson homered for the second time in the day as part of a 2-for-2 game and Renata Boyd went 2-for-3 to lead Mines at the plate. Katelynn Ralston was 4-for-5 to lead CSUP.

Boyd's second-inning double to score Redding gave Mines an early lead, but the Thunderwolves manufactured three runs in the fourth keyed by Sabrina Felix's triple to lead 3-1, and Ralston's RBI single in the sixth made it 4-1. Another comeback looked like it was brewing in the sixth when Brunello walked before Larson launched a towering home run to left field to cut the deficit to 4-3.

CSU Pueblo caught fire in the top of the seventh, however, producing nine runs off three Oredigger errors and six hits, including two doubles by Teller and another by Piatt. 

Mines combined three pitchers with Kylie Redding (1-1) being charged with the loss after departing in the sixth. Lauren Decker and Kayleigh Krueger each threw an inning of relief. Oakleigh Kearby (2-0) struck out three and allowed three in the complete-game victory.

NEXT UP
Mines and CSU Pueblo wrap up their series Monday with an 11 a.m. doubleheader.