SPEARFISH, S.D. - Colorado School of Mines picked up two important wins, returning to the diamond after a two-week pause to beat Black Hills State 4-2 and 6-2.

The Orediggers (21-13, 20-10 RMAC) solidified their postition in the RMAC Tournament race, staying in fourth as the three teams immediately behind them all took losses on Saturday. 

GAME 1 - MINES 4, BLACK HILLS STATE 2
Mines got back to action with a comeback win, using timely hitting and taking advantage of Yellow Jacket miscues to win 4-2.

The Orediggers capitalized on three BHSU errors, including a crucial dropped third out in the fourth that allowed Grace Gonzales to hit the go-ahead bases-loaded single. 

Sydney Marchando (8-4) threw six strong innings, striking out six and allowing one earned run. Sadriena Rodriguez picked up her first save with two strikeouts in the seventh. 

Bell Luebken's RBI single in the third got the Yellow Jackets on the board first, but Mines answered back with a three-run four. With Kayleigh Krueger and Lauren Decker on base with two outs, Emilee Sloan reached on a dropped infield fly to load the bases; that set up Gonzales to single in two runs on a bloop to center, with Sloan also scoring on a throwing error on the play to lead 3-1.

Krueger's sacrifice fly in the fifth extended the lead to 5-1, and after the Yellow Jackets added an RBI double by Luebken in the seventh, Rodriguez earned a strikeout for the game's final out. 

BHSU hurler Crystal Amaral held Mines to only four hits and allowed just one earned run out of four in the complete-game effort as she struck out two and walked two.


GAME 2 - MINES 6, BLACK HILLS STATE 2
Kayleigh Kruger's complete-game effort paced the Orediggers as they got contributions up and down the lineup in a 6-2 win in Saturday's late game.

Trystin Oshiro-Sano, in her first collegiate start, hit her first home run, while Lauren Decker went 3-for-4 with an RBI and Sydney Marchando and Emilee Sloan also drove in runs. 

Krueger struck out two and scattered five hits in the win to improve to 4-3. Shayla Tuschen allowed six runs (three earned) and walked two in the loss for BHSU.

Oshiro-Sano's homer in the third put Mines ahead 1-0, but Darian Gottfried answered with a leadoff bomb in the bottom half before Baileigh Hubbard doubled in the go-ahead run to give the Yellow Jackets a 2-1 lead.

Mines broke the game open in the fifth when Decker singled in Sidney Wilson to tie the game, and an error on Sam Wade's at-bat allowed Clara Larson to score before Sloan's single down the line and an error brought two more runs across for a 5-2 lead. Marchando's sac fly in the seventh padded the lead as Krueger tossed a 1-2-3 final frame.

NEXT UP
The two teams wrap up their series Sunday at 11 a.m.