GOLDEN, Colo. – Following a doubleheader sweep on Saturday, Colorado School of Mines softball team looked to secure their first Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference series win of the season Sunday at Joe Coors, Jr. Softball Field against visiting New Mexico Highlands. The Orediggers (8-10, 5-7) overcame losing a lead late in the opening and battled through three frames of extra innings, picking up a walk-off win by a score of 4-3 before the Cowgirls (6-11, 2-10) got their best pitching performance of the weekend to avoid the sweep with a four-hit shutout in game two to win 3-0.
 
NMHU scored the first runs of the day with back-to-back two-out hits in the first on a single to right and a double to left to take the lead after a half inning of play. Hannah Roberts looked to lead the Mines answer in the home half of the inning, belting a triple to left center with one out but ended up being stranded 60 feet away as Arianna Ramirez worked out of trouble.
 
The Orediggers did break through in the second to tie the game, as Kayleigh Krueger sparked a two-out rally with a single up the middle and scored two pitches later on another ringing double off the wall by Cassidy Chvatal to make it a 1-1 game.
 
After Sadriena Rodriguez worked a 1-2-3 top of the third, Mines plated a pair in the home half of the inning as Kendall Aragon singled before Roberts doubled the other way to right center to put two in scoring position to open the frame. A bizarre sequence two batters later saw the duo both score as Lexie Semeyn laced a sac fly to right that saw an over the shoulder catch by the second baseman. Aragon tagged up and scored easily, but the throw back in to the catcher was muffed and rolled away towards the third base dugout and allowed Roberts to race home from second to make it 3-1.
 
Mines had a chance in the fifth to add another insurance run as Kellan Ton pinch hit for Kailey Morales to lead the inning off and lined a ball to right field to the fence and set off blazing around the bases, getting an aggressive wave around third to try for an inside-the-park home run, but a good relay from the Cowgirls cut her down at the dish to keep it a two-run game.
 
Rodriguez looked to have settled down after giving up the first inning run, spinning scoreless frame in the fourth and fifth innings and getting the first two outs in the sixth easily enough and looked to strand a runner at first, but an 0-1 pitch to Karla Banegas was turned around to centerfield and cleared the fence directly under the scoreboard as the Cowgirls rallied to tie the game at 3-3.
 
Now a brand-new ballgame and with what could have been another run the previous inning now looming large, the Orediggers had to recollect themselves and managed to get the go-ahead run on base in each of the sixth and seventh innings, but struggled to get the clutch hit they needed in those situations coming up empty as the opener headed to extra innings.
 
Allison Westbrook (3-2), who came on in relief of Rodriguez in the sixth, did everything she could to keep New Mexico Highlands off the board and allow her offense to work at the dish to try and win the game. That looked like it might happen in the home ninth when Sara Larson led off with a double to right center, but Ramirez retired the next three to send the game to the 10th.
 
Already with three clean innings of relief under her belt, Westbrook looked to make it four in the top of the 10th getting the first two batters to ground out to Larson on six pitches before a double to deep left off the fence gave NMHU a shot at the go-ahead run. Fortunately, the senior managed to get out of trouble, getting another groundout to third to end the inning.
 
With momentum on their side and the top of the order coming up in the home half, Mines had a golden shot to finally end a marathon opening game. Aragon lined out to short on a well-struck ball to leadoff, but Roberts backed her up with her second double of the game, this one into the left field corner to represent the winning run. Next to the plate was Sidney Wilson, who with one walk-off winner to her credit on the year, added a second on the first pitch she saw, driving the 0-0 offering right back up the middle as Roberts raced home and easily beat the throw to secure a series win for the Orediggers with a 4-3 win in extras.
 
With their first objective on the weekend accomplished, Mines looked to try and complete the sweep in game two, but struggled to find their offensive mojo in the finale. NMHU again plated a run in the top of the first, getting a one-out double to deep right field following a hit by pitch to again take the first lead of the game.
 
Kellan Ton led off the home first with a walk and stole second before being joined on base by Lexie Semeyn who also walked, but starter Maya Milano was able to work out of it and keep the Orediggers off the board. Two more hits in the second and another in the third kept traffic on the bases for Mines, but again NMHU managed to pitch around them and keep their lead. The bottom of the fourth presented the best chance for the Orediggers to do anything offensively to that point in the game, as Trystin Oshiro-Sano was plunked to lead off. Emily Rogers came on to pinch run and moved up to second on a sac bunt by Sara Larson before Kayleigh Krueger was also beaned to put two runners on. A flyout to deep center moved the pair up 60, but nothing came of it as once again Milano worked a groundout to get out of trouble.
 
 
Kat Miller (1-1) did everything she could in the circle while waiting for her offense to pick her up, working five scoreless innings after allowing the lone run in the first and working around a single and a walk in the fifth to leave a pair before navigating around a leadoff single in the sixth to again hang a zero and keep it a one-run game.
 
Allison Westbrook came on again in relief in the top of the seventh inning and looked poised to record a quick inning, getting two outs following a leadoff single, but back-to-back walks followed by back-to-back singles saw two runs score with the bases loaded and force a pitching change. Freshman Ellen Shull got the call, looking to limit the damage and give Mines a chance in the home half and managed to do just that, battling back from down 3-1 to get a strikeout to end the inning.
 
Unfortunately for the Orediggers, there wasn't any late-inning action left as they went down in order in the seventh, falling by a final of 3-0 in the series finale.
 
NOTABLES
-Roberts went 3-5 with three extra-base hits and two runs scored in game one
-Aragon went 2-5 with a run scored in the opener and 1-3 in the finale to post an 8-16 weekend with a double, three runs scored and two RBI
-Chvatal continued her hot weekend in game one, going 2-4 with a double and an RBI and ended the series 5-13 with three doubles, two RBI and two runs scored
-Wilson recorded a hit in each game Sunday and closed the series with three hits, two RBI, two runs scored and her second walk-off of the season
-Krueger also singled in each game Sunday and scored a run as she hit safely in all four games over the weekend, scoring twice and driving in three
-Ton recorded her first collegiate triple in her pinch hit appearance in game one and added to her team-leading stolen base total with her fifth of the season in game two
-Semeyn drove in her team-leading 11th RBI of the season in game one
-Rodriguez worked 5.2 innings in her no-decision in game one, allowing three runs on five hits while striking out five and walking two
-Miller was a hard-luck loser in game two, allowing a run and scattering six hits with two strikeouts as she took her first loss of the season
-Westbrook was stellar in relief in game one, allowing just one hit in 4.1 innings and facing just two over the minimum
-Shull made her Joe Coors, Jr. Field debut in the opener and recorded her first collegiate strikeout
 
UP NEXT
Mines opens an 11-game road trip next weekend when they head back to All Star Park in Lakewood to take on #9 Colorado Christian in a four-game series March 9-10.
 
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.