DURANGO, Colo. - Colorado School of Mines finished off the series sweep of Fort Lewis on Monday, taking both sides of their doubleheader to remain in the thick of the RMAC playoff hunt.

The Orediggers (14-10, 13-7 RMAC) solidified their hold on a top-six spot for the RMAC Tournament, now sitting in fourth place in the league after their second series sweep of the season.

GAME 1 - Mines 5, Fort Lewis 1
Sydney Marchando's strong start and timely hitting led Colorado School of Mines to a 5-1 win Monday morning at Fort Lewis.

The Orediggers overcame four errors to keep the Skyhawks off the board until the seventh inning. Renata Boyd led Mines at the plate hitting 3-for-4 with two runs, while Clara Larson also came home twice and Kayleigh Krueger drove in two. 

Both starters were outstanding through the first three innings until Mines got something going in the fourth. With two on, Krueger singled in Boyd, and Megan Dickson's bunt brought home Larson from third to lead 2-0.

Mines padded the lead in the fifth with three more runs as Larson singled in Lauren Decker, Kruger's sac fly plated Boyd, and Sidney Wilson drew a bases-loaded hit-by-pitch. Taylor Beaman's RBI single with two outs in the seventh was the Skyhawks' lone run. 

Marchando was outstanding, allowing only two hits and no walks through six innings facing 21 batters. Sadriena Rodriguez worked the seventh in relief allowing two hits and a run. Mandy Lorenson took the loss for FLC.

GAME 2 - Mines 8, Fort Lewis 6
Colorado School of Mines turned in two big innings to come back from a 5-2 deficit and beat Fort Lewis, 8-6, in the series finale.

The Orediggers earned the series sweep with three runs each in the fifth and sixth innings, keyed by Renata Boyd's go-ahead two-run single in the sixth. Boyd continued an outstanding day going 2-for-4, while Clara Larson was 3-for-4 with two RBI and Kylie Redding 2-for-3 with two RBI. 

Mines combined four pitchers with Sadriena Rodriguez (2-0) earning the win; Lauren Decker (2.2 IP, 1 ER) and Kayleigh Krueger (1.1 IP, 4 ER) also appeared while Sydney Marchando pitched a 1-2-3 seventh to pick up her first save since the 2019 season.

Down 4-0 after the second inning, Mines pounced on Skyhawk miscues to score a run in the third when Decker came across on an error, and again in the fourth when Aubree Karraker reached on an outfield error to let Krueger score. FLC added a run on a wild pitch in the fourth to make it 5-2, but Mines got their bats going in the fifth as Larson singled in Stefanie Brunello and Redding's single produced two more runs to tie it 5-5. In the sixth, Boyd drove in the go-ahead runs with a single to left before Larson's infield single allowed her to score and lead 8-5; FLC got a sacrifice fly in the bottom half, but Marchando worked a flawless seventh to seal the victory.

NEXT UP
Mines will host Adams State in a four-game series starting Friday at noon. No spectators will be admitted to the series.