GOLDEN, Colo. - Colorado School of Mines won its series against CSU Pueblo thanks to a Monday doubleheader sweep featuring a walk-off extra-innings victory in the finale.
Taking three of four off the Thunderwolves (4-4, 3-1 RMAC), the Orediggers improved to 4-4 overall and 3-1 in RMAC play.
GAME 1 - MINES 12, CSU PUEBLO 5
Four big innings helped Colorado School of Mines cruise to a win in the day's first game, 12-5.
Kylie Redding hit a three-run home run and
Sidney Wilson,
Sydney Marchando, and
Aubree Karraker each drove in two runs as the Orediggers scored a dozen times off 10 hits. Isabel Griego led the Thunderwolves going 3-for-5 with three RBI.
Sadriena Rodriguez (1-0) earned her first collegiate win, relieving Marchando to start the third and throwing five strong innings of three-hit, one-run softball.
The Pack got on the board first thanks to Griego's bunt single to score Gabby Moreno in the first, but Redding homered in the bottom half with two on to take a 3-1 lead. Emma Flynn led off the second with a solo shot before Griego's triple tied it and Marissa Piatt drove her in for a 4-3 lead in the second; Griego again singled in Moreno in the third for a 5-3 advantage.
Mines got back into it with Marchando's two-run single in the fourth to tie it 5-5, then broke the game open in the fourth as
Stefanie Brunello doubled in Karraker,
Clara Larson singled home Brunello, and Wilson's groundout let
Renata Boyd plate for an 8-5 lead. It was more of the same in the fifth as Karraker doubled in two runs, Boyd singled in another, and Wilson got Boyd home to end the inning with an 12-5 lead.
CSUP combined three pitchers with Sophia Lishner (1-2) taking the loss.
GAME 2 - MINES 5, CSU PUEBLO 4 (8 inn.)
Clara Larson's walk-off double in the bottom of the eighth capped an enthralling series finale as Mines won 5-4.
Tied 4-4 for the final three innings, both teams had chances to win it but the Mines pitching combo of
Kylie Redding and
Kayleigh Krueger held firm.
Karraker's two-run double in the second gave Mines an early 2-1 lead, but Piatt tied it up with a groundout in the third before Mines produced two in the bottom half on Wilson's RBI double and a Redding single. That lead lasted all of a half-inning as Moreno doubled in two runs in the top of the fourth to make it 4-4.
Mines left the bases loaded in the fifth and had runners on second and third in the sixth, but ultimately couldn't produce a run. Krueger (1-1) relieved Redding in a tie game with one out and the bases loaded in the seventh, and quickly produced a force out at the plate and a grounder to end the inning. She then worked out of a jam with runners on second and third in the eighth to put her in line for her first career win.
In the bottom of the eighth, Karraker smacked a two-out double and Brunello reached after being hit by a pitch, and Boyd put runners on the corners with a fielder's choice. That brought up Larson, who drilled a first-pitch, two-out double to center to bring Karraker home for the win.
Both Larson and Karraker doubled twice in the game. Redding went 3-for-4 at the plate.
NEXT UP
Mines heads to Colorado Mesa next weekend for a Saturday-Sunday series.
