GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. - Colorado School of Mines battled to the end, but #15 Colorado Mesa hung on for a 2-1 victory in the RMAC Tournament's winner's bracket on Thursday.

The Orediggers (22-14-1) will now play Fort Lewis Friday at 1:30 p.m. in an elimination game. The top-seeded Mavericks (35-2) will play the winner of Colorado Christian and MSU Denver Friday at 4 p.m.

Clara Larson led Mines at the plate going 3-for-3 with a home run, her second of the day, as Mines scattered seven hits. Lauren Wedman was 3-for-3 for CMU while RMAC Player of the Year Ellie Smith drove in both runs with a first-inning homer. 

After earning the win over Regis earlier in the day, Sydney Marchando (9-5) was the hard-luck loser against CMU, striking out six while holding the high-powered Mavericks to their lowest run total of the season. RMAC Pitcher of the Year Paige Adair (18-1) went 5.1 innings and struck out six, while Smith threw a 1.2-inning save (2) allowing one hit. 

All of CMU's scoring was done in the first as Wedman reached on a single and Smith homered to straightaway center field for the early 2-0 lead. Mines couldn't cash in on baserunners in the second and third, but broke through in the fifth when Larson led off with a home run to left, her 10th of the season, to cut the lead to 2-1. 

A double play in the sixth by the Mavericks halted a Mines threat with runners in scoring position, and the Orediggers couldn't capitalize on Larson's lead-off single in the seventh as Smith earned the save. 

Larson's home run - the 49th of her career - moved her into sixth place all-time in RMAC history.