COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Back on the road and playing as scheduled on a Saturday for the first time three weeks, the Colorado School of Mines softball team made the short trip down I-25 to Colorado Springs to open a four-game Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference series with UCCS, taking the opener behind a stellar pitching performance by score of 2-1 before dropping the second game 13-5 in five innings.
 
The Orediggers (14-19, 13-11) got another gem in the circle by Sadriena Rodriguez in the opener, as the senior logged a complete game six-hitter and recorded her third game of the season with 10 or more strikeouts, while in game two the Mountain Lions (10-23, 7-17) used a pair of five-run innings to open the game to ride to a 13-5 win in a run rule-shortened five inning contest.
 
Mines wasted little time plating the first run of the afternoon in the top of the first, as Sidney Wilson reached with a two-out single to deep right center and advanced to second a fielding error off the bat of Kayleigh Krueger before coming around to score on a single back through the box by Sophie Furniss to make it 1-0.
 
That score held until the fifth inning when Mines plated a run with two outs. Hannah Roberts led the inning off with a single through the right side and was lifted for a pinch runner in Kailey Robb. After a sac bunt and a flyout to shallow center result in two quick outs, Wilson dug in and put a ball in play that dropped in down the right field line and allowed Robb to score easily and double the lead to 2-0.
 
UCCS had a few chances in the middle innings to get on the board, getting a runner into scoring position in both the fourth and fifth innings but being turned away by the Orediggers in both innings, highlighted by a diving snag in center on a sinking liner by Lauren Decker in the fifth that saw Mines able to double off the runner at second to end the inning.
 
The Mountain Lions did manage a run in the sixth, as a leadoff home run made it a one-run game once again, but starter Sadriena Rodriguez (7-2) responded by striking out the next three batters in order to end the inning before retiring the final two batters of the afternoon in the seventh to collect her seventh win of the season.
 
The left-hander was masterful once again in the circle, allowing just one run on six hits while recording her third game of the season with double-digit strikeouts as she finished the day by setting a new career-high with 13.
 
Mines wasted little time scoring first again in game two, loading the bases with a pair of walks and a hit by pitch issued to Kendall Aragon, Trystin Oshiro-Sano and Sidney Wilson against Mackenzie Rutkoff to set the table for Kayleigh Krueger, who promptly doubled to left center to score a pair to make it 2-0.
 
The offense continued in the bottom of the inning as UCCS saw two of their first three batters reach to start the inning before a three-run home run to centerfield by Courtnie Heller followed by a solo shot to left field by Lexi Wagner made it 4-2 and chased started Taylor Wayne (2-5). Allison Westbrook took over and struck out the first batter she faced before a single and a wild pitch put a runner in scoring position for the Mountain Lions. A sun-aided single to right that dropped in between Aragon and Lauren Decker allowed a fifth run to score and made it a three-run game at 5-2.
 
UCCS continued to pile it on in the second inning, as a run scored on a one-out error following a leadoff triple before Wagner went deep for the second time in the game, this time with a two-run shot to left center, to make it an 8-2 game. After Decker took over in the circle and induced a groundout against the first batter she faced, the Mountain Lions left the yard again as Peyton Reisman connected on a solo home run to left center before another walk followed by a triple to center made it 10-2 with another five-run inning.
 
The Orediggesr had a chance to score in the third when Krueger singled to second and advanced into scoring position on a throwing error before being joined on base by Lexie Semeyn with a two-out walk, but a foul out the third ended the inning.
 
The Mountain Lions led off their half of the third with another solo home run followed by a one-out walk and an RBI double to right center to make it a 10-run game at 12-2.
 
Mines did get some runs back in the fourth inning, as with bases loaded and one out, Oshiro-Sano grounded out to first score Ellaena Rodriguez before Wilson split the right center gap for a two-run double to plate Paige Dompier and Kailey Morales and cut the gap to 12-5.
 
UCCS countered and managed to score a run on a two-out single to right field to go back up by eight at 13-5 and bring the run rule back into effect, as Mines went quietly in the fifth as the afternoon came to a close.
 
NOTABLES
-Wilson led the way at the plate in the opener by going 2-2 with a run and an RBI and followed up with a two-run double in game two and has now driven in at least one run in each of her last four games
-Furniss finished 1-3 with an RBI and has now driven in a run and hit safely in four of her last six games since moving into the DP spot
-Renata Boyd, Decker and Roberts each finished with a hit game one
-Rodriguez went the distance for the eighth time this season and lowered her season ERA to 2.42 and now sits nine strikeouts away from 100 for the season and 14 strikeouts shy of 200 for her career with 186
-Krueger went 2-3 with two RBI to lead the way at the plate in game two and surpassed the 20 RBI mark in a season for the third time in her career
-Aragon and Oshiro-Sano each scored while the latter also drove in her eighth run of the season
-Ellaena Rodriguez, Dompier and Morales also reached base and scored in the game

LOOKING AHEAD
Mines will take on UCCS Sunday twice more beginning at 11 a.m. before returning home next week to host MSU Denver in a four-game series currently scheduled for April 6-7.
 
Fans can keep up with Mines softball on Twitter at @MinesSoftball and Instagram at @mines_sb. They can also keep up with Colorado School of Mines Athletics all year long on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram using the handle @MinesAthletics.