GAME 1 - Mines 12, UCCS 2 (5 inn.)
A monster eight-run fifth inning helped Colorado School of Mines run-rule UCCS in the morning game, 12-2, in five innings.

Both Clara Larson and Sam Wade drove in three runs apiece while Megan Dickson and Kayleigh Krueger put together 3-for-4 games at the plate to lead an offensive outburst by the Orediggers, who generated 14 hits through five innings.

The offense supported a quality start by Kylie Redding (3-2), who allowed two runs in an efficient 63-pitch outing. UCCS combined three pitchers with the starter Braelyne Crenshaw (3-3) taking the loss in 1.2 innings of work.

Larson homered to get the scoring going in the first for a quick 3-0 lead, and Dickson's infield RBI single added to that before UCCS even had a chance to bat. The Mountain Lions pulled back a run on Peyton Reisman's single in the first and another when Solana Martinez homered in the third to make it 4-2, but the Orediggers' huge fifth put the game away.

Dickson and Kailey Robb got the inning going with RBI singles before Lauren Decker drew a bases-loaded walk to make it 7-2; that set up Sam Wade, who drilled a pinch-hit double down the line to clear the bases, and Redding and Krueger tacked on runs after that. Redding faced just three batters in the bottom of the fifth as Emilee Sloan gunned down Brianna Santos from right field trying to stretch a double into a triple.  

Larson became the fifth player in RMAC history to surpass 200 RBI with her home run in the first inning.

GAME 2 - UCCS 6, Mines 4
UCCS came back to win the final game of the series, 6-4, to split the weekend at two games apiece.

The Orediggers were led by Stefanie Brunello's three-RBI game, but ultimately couldn't rebound from UCCS' big third inning as Gabrielle Cronin pitched a shutdown back half of the game. Cronin (2-2) allowed three earned runs in the complete game. Krueger (3-3) took the loss, departing in the third; Sydney Marchando was excellent in 3.1 innings of relief, allowing just one hit and striking out five.

UCCS got ahead quickly thanks to Meghan Waidler's bases-loaded walk and Sawyer Brewster's two-run single in the first to lead 3-0. Mines quickly swung things the other way in the second when Brunello drove a bases-loaded double to left center to tie it up, and she would then score on an error that led Larson reach to lead 4-3.

The Mountain Lions answered with a three-run third that would ultimately give them the win. Brewster and Cambria Jeffers each doubled in runs before Santos singled in a third to make it 6-4; Mines would put runners on third in the fourth and sixth innings but couldn't mount a comeback despite Marchando's sterling relief appearance.

NEXT UP
Mines (10-10, 9-7 RMAC) heads to Fort Lewis for a four-game set starting March 27.