MIAMI SHORES, Fla. – Closing out their season opening trip to the Sunshine State Sunday, the Colorado School of Mines softball team was at Buccaneer Field to take on Barry in doubleheader action. The Orediggers (3-3) started the day on a high note, earning a 3-2 win in the opener before seeing their fortunes change quickly in game two, going from leading to getting walked off in extras by the Bucs (6-4) in a matter of three innings by a score of 5-4.
Kendall Aragon kicked the day with a single back up the middle before advancing to second when
Sidney Wilson worked a walk. A long flyout to deep centerfield off the bat of
Lexie Semeyn moved Aragon up 60 feet before she scored on a stolen base attempt by Wilson for the first run of the game. Barry answered right back with two runs of their own in the bottom of the inning, as a two-out two-run double by Paige White gave the Bucs the lead 2-1.
Trystin Oshiro-Sano and
Sara Larson both singled to lead off the second as Mines looked to answer, but were both left stranded as Barry starter Maci Barnhart struck out the next three to get out of any potential trouble.
Sadriena Rodriguez (2-0) worked around trouble of her own in the bottom of the inning, leaving runners at the corners after getting a popup to shortstop to keep it a one-run game.
In the top of the third, Wilson and Semeyn both reached with one-out walks before
Kayleigh Krueger singled to load the bases for Oshiro-Sano, who lined one through the right side of the infield to score a pair and retake the lead 3-2.
Following a 1-2-3 fourth for both sides, the Bucs got some traffic on the bases in both the fifth and sixth innings, getting the tying run to second in each frame, but the veteran left-hander Rodriguez showed off her poise and found ways to work out of trouble and preserve the lead.
The Orediggers looked to add some insurance in the seventh, getting a pair of two out baserunners after Aragon and Wilson both single up the middle, but Barnhart again was able to duck out of danger and keep it a one-run contest. Down to their final three outs, the Bucs had a tough task against Rodriguez who had thrown up nothing but zeros since the first inning and didn't find much success, as the fifth-year pitcher struck out two around a groundout to first to cap off the complete game effort and take the opener 3-2.
Game two opened with two scoreless innings as starters Alexis Martin and
Kat Miller each had to navigate around some early baserunners but managed to keep the opposition off the scoreboard. That all changed in the top of the third when
Sara Larson blasted the first pitch she saw from Martin out to left field for the first Mines home run of the season to again take the first lead of the game.
Two more scoreless innings followed until the Orediggers managed to add onto their lead in the sixth.
Kellan Ton's one-out double set the table before
Kendall Aragon singled to center to score the freshman. Moments later,
Lexie Semeyn belted her second triple of the weekend the other way to right center and scored Aragon to make it 3-0. Those runs in the top of the inning proved to be important, as Barry decided to break up Miller's no-hit bid with a bunt single by Taylor Thompson to lead off the inning and spark a rally for the Bucs. After a lineout, Thompson scored on a single by Mac Stone-Folmar how was tagged out in a rundown at second to make it 3-1. Harper Bunn then reached on another bunt single before back-to-back hit by pitches loaded the bases for Paige White, who singled to third and drove in a run to make it 3-2.
Allison Westbrook (0-2) took over looking to escape the jam and was able to do so, needing just two pitches as she got an infield popup to second to end the inning and maintain the lead.
Trystin-Oshiro Sano led off the seventh with a double to left center as Mines looked to add back onto their lead, but despite a sac bunt moving another insurance run to third, Barry was able to dance out of danger and keep it a one-run game going to the bottom of the frame. After Westbrook picked up a strikeout to open the inning, Thompson laid down another bunt and was originally called out at first, but following a challenge by the Bucs, the call was overturned. Westbrook retired the next batter on a flyout to center before Thompson stole second and came around to tie the game at 3-3 on a single through the right side by Stone-Folmar and send the game to extra innings.
With tiebreaker rules in effect for the extra frames,
Hannah Roberts started things off standing on second base and moved over to third on a groundout by Ton before scoring the go-ahead run on a line shot to left off the bat of
Sidney Wilson. Heading to the bottom of the inning, it was Barry's turn to start with a runner at second and right away got the go-ahead run on with a leadoff walk by Cassandra Lee. Becka Mellor loaded the bases after she was hit by a first pitch offering, putting the Orediggers in a dangerous spot with no outs in the inning. After a flyout to shallow center, Alexis Toledo tied the game once more with an RBI infield single to shortstop to keep the bases loaded before Sofia Chamorro worked a walk-off walk to force home the winning run as the Bucs went from being no-hit to earning a 5-4 win in the span of three innings to earn a split of the doubleheader.
NOTABLES
-Oshiro-Sano led the way at the plate in the opener, going 2-3 with two RBI while going 1-2 with a double in the finale
-Aragon also turned in a two-hit outing, going 2-4 with a run scored in game one and finished the weekend 1-4 with an RBI and a run in game two
-Wilson went 1-2 with a run scored and a pair of walks in the opener while going 1-4 with and RBI and a run in game two
-Larson went 1-3 while Semeyn worked a walk and scored a run in game one also while going 1-1 with a home run and two sac bunts in game two
-Ton went 2-4 with a double and a run scored while Semeyn went 1-4 with a triple and a run batted in
-Larson's home run was the fourth of her career and first since April 10, 2022 against UCCS
-Rodriguez picked up her second win of the weekend, working another complete game effort and finishing with six scoreless innings of work, striking out five without issuing a walk and allowing two runs on seven hits
-Miller ended up with a no-decision in her start and backed up her Friday outing with five innings of no-hit softball to begin the day and three 1-2-3 innings, finishing her day with 5.2 innings worked, four strikeouts, two walks and two runs on four hits, two of which were bunts and only one of which left the infield
UP NEXT
The Orediggers are currently scheduled to return home to begin Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference action next weekend February 17-18 at Joe Coors, Jr. Softball Field against Chadron State with doubleheaders each day starting as 12 p.m. and 11 a.m.
Fans can keep up with Mines softball on X at @MinesSoftball and on Instagram at @mines_sb. They can also keep up with Colorado School of Mines Athletics all year long on Facebook, X and Instagram using the handle @MinesAthletics.
