COLORADO SPRINGS -
Sara Larson's walk-off grand slam gave Colorado School of Mines the win in the series opener as they split Saturday's doubleheader at UCCS.
The Orediggers (6-14, 6-6 RMAC) never led in the first game until Larson's two-out shot gave them the 7-4 win. In the late game, UCCS opened with two big innings to win 14-6 in five innings.
Larson had a monster day at the plate, going a combined 4-for-6 with eight RBI including five in the first game.
Trystin Oshiro-Sano also went yard in game 2.
GAME 1 - MINES 7, UCCS 4
Sara Larson's grand slam capped Mines' comeback as they beat UCCS 7-4 to open the series.
Playing as the home team, the Orediggers rallied back from 4-0 down led by Larson's five-RBI game, chipping away with runs in the third and sixth to put themselves in position for the win.
Peyton Reisman's home run in the second put UCCS ahead 2-0, and she singled off the pitcher to score another run in the third before Bryn Horton drew a bases-loaded walk to lead 4-0.
Mines got going in the third when
Lauren Decker drove in
Emilee Sloan, and Larson's RBI groundout in the sixth scored
Lexie Semeyn to cut the deficit to 4-2. In the seventh, Mines loaded the bases and put one run across when
Hannah Roberts walked, and that brought up Larson, who smashed her two-out slam to center field to win it.
Mines combined three pitchers with
Cassidy Chvatal departing in the third allowing four runs (two earned);
Sadriena Rodriguez had an excellent relief stint striking out five through 3.2 innings, and
Taylor Wayne (2-3) pitched a perfect seventh to wind up with the win. Braelynne Crenshaw (3-6) was hooked with the loss for UCCS, leaving with two outs in the seventh before Mackenzie Rutkoff allowed the home run.
Larson's walkoff grand slam was the first for the Orediggers since 2013 when Courtney Derus hit one in the fifth inning to invoke the run rule. It was Larson's first career home run.
GAME 2 - UCCS 14, MINES 6
UCCS' bats were active early and often in the day's second game as they used two huge at-bats to run away with a 14-6, five-inning victory.
The Mountain Lions scored six in the first and seven in the second, but Mines showed no quit as they battled back to score in three different innings after falling behind 13-0.
Solana Martinez and Sawyer Brewster keyed the first inning with back-to-back home runs, and Mia Perez's home run to lead off the second sparked their seven-run inning that included four RBI base hits.
Larson stayed hot to double in two runs in the second with
Renata Boyd's bloop single adding another run, and Larson's sac fly in the third made it 13-4. After UCCS' Briana Mattos' single and an error scored another Mountain Lion run in the fourth,
Trystin Oshiro-Sano drilled a two-run homer in the bottom half, her first of the season.
Lexi Rayburn (5-1) picked up the win striking out five and allowing six runs for UCCS. Mines combined three pitchers with starter
Lauren Decker (2-5) being charged with the loss;
Cassidy Chvatal threw the last three innings and calmed the game for Mines allowing just one run and striking out three.
NEXT UP
Mines and UCCS complete their series Sunday starting at 11 a.m.
