LAKEWOOD, Colo. – Back at All Star Park for the second time in the last month, the Colorado School of Mines softball team looked to continue their momentum from their first Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference series win of the season last weekend into play Saturday against #9 Colorado Christian. Game one went about as well as anyone could have hoped for as the Orediggers (9-11, 6-8) rebounded from an early deficit to hang a crooked number in the second inning and made it stick against the best offense in the RMAC, starting the series with a 4-3 win before the Cougars (20-3, 12-2) used two big innings of their own and took advantage of some defensive miscues by Mines to take game two 9-4 and split doubleheader action.
 
Game one saw the Cougars take the first lead of the day in the home first on a safety squeeze back to the circle with two in scoring position that allowed the runner at third to come home as Mines took the out at first before working out of the inning and leaving two runners on.
 
Looking to answer in their half of the second, the Orediggers rallied with two outs as a single down the line in left by Cassidy Chvatal and a walk by Hannah Roberts loaded the bases all following a fielder's choice off the bat of Kayleigh Krueger.  The lineup turned over and freshman Kellan Ton stepped in to deliver a line single to center to plate Krueger and tie the game before Sidney Wilson singled to left center to score Chvatal and Roberts and take the lead. Kendall Aragon kept the good times going with a single of her own to left center that easily scored the speedy Ton from second to make it 4-1. After another single to left by Lexie Semeyn, Mines looked to keep adding on but CCU got a pop-up on the infield to tight rope out of danger.
 
Now pitching with a lead, starter Kat Miller (2-1) worked around a two-out double in the second before posting a 1-2-3 third to maintain the lead and held the Cougars to a single run the fourth, working around a leadoff error and a double to keep Mines out front. She again worked around a leadoff error in the fifth to hang another scoreless inning before CCU clawed back within one in the sixth on a leadoff solo home run, but the sophomore retired three of the next four she faced to strand the tying run on base after a one-out single as the Orediggers lead 4-3 going to the seventh.
 
After being unable to provide Miller with any late insurance in the top of the seventh, Mines stared down the top of the order for Colorado Christian and their three best hitters in the bottom of the frame, all of which had the potential to tie the game with one swing of the bat. Miller remained unfazed by the task ahead however, as she went flyout, flyout, groundout to retire the side in order to close out her complete game effort in a 4-3 series opening win.
 
Game two started with a scoreless first before Mines took the lead in the second. Sara Larson's one-out single to right got the offense going as Trystin Oshiro-Sano joined her on base with a walk before Kayleigh Krueger was plunked first pitch to load the bases. A fielder's choice off the bat of Cassidy Chvatal resulted in a run as the shortstop tried to get the out at third on the force, but a hard slide by Oshiro-Sano jarred the ball loose on the tag to keep the bases loaded as Larson came across to score on the play. Kailey Morales drove in a run next on a groundout to second to move everyone up 60 feet and score Oshiro-Sano to make it 2-0. Kendall Aragon then coaxed a walk to load the bases, but CCU again worked out of trouble getting a strikeout to end the inning and leave three.
 
The home second did not start favorably for Mines as a leadoff double, passed ball and an error on a flyball to right field as a result of a high sky and bright sun quickly saw CCU get on the board. A single to right was followed by a two-run double to the fence in right center as quickly the score flipped to 3-2 Colorado Christian. Sadriena Rodriguez (4-5) recollected herself despite the rocky start to the inning and after another single, recorded a pair of strikeouts and a groundout against three of the next four hitters, working around a two-out walk to leave the bases loaded and keep it a one-run game.
 
With a low-scoring, high-stakes game unfolding, neither pitcher blinked over the following innings as both offenses managed to get runners on base, but couldn't do anything with them until the fifth inning when CCU broke things open. A leadoff walk followed by a passed ball and a single to center saw the ninth-ranked team in Division II retake the lead 4-3 before making it 5-3 on a passed ball two batters later. The backbreaker was a two-run home run immediately following the passed ball that made it 7-3 and brought about a Mines pitching change as Allison Westbrook came on in relief. She was able to get out of the inning, but not before another run scored on a single through the right side as CCU now led 8-3.
 
In the sixth Krueger looked to get a rally going as she reached on a walk and advanced to second on a groundout with two away before coming around to score on an infield single by Aragon, who legged out an infield single and beat a diving try by first base Samaria Roope to win the race to the bag as it moved back to an 8-4 game. Unfortunately CCU got that run right back in the home sixth in a one-out single to left as a result of a leadoff error to make it 9-4 before retiring the Orediggers in order in the seventh to rebound in game two with a win to split the first day of the series.
 
NOTABLES
-Larson led the way at the plate Saturday, going 2-4 in both games and adding two runs scored in game two
-Chvatal went 2-3 with a run scored in the opener while getting credited with an RBI in game two
-Wilson went 2-8 in the doubleheader, hitting safely in each game and driving in a pair in the opener
-Aragon also hit safely in each game to extend her hitting streak to six games while driving in a run in each game as well
-Krueger went 1-1 with an RBI and run scored in game two while also scoring a run in game one
-Seven different players recorded a hit in game one
-Miller went the distance in the circle for the second time this season in her game one win, allowing three runs (two earned) on six hits while walking one and striking out one
-Rodriguez worked 4.1 innings in her game two start and despite allowing seven runs, only three were earned as she struck out four against two walks
-Westbrook allowed two runs (one earned) on four hits in 2.1 innings of relief in game two
-The win in game one snapped a nine-game losing streak against the Cougars in the all-time series for the Orediggers and was their first in in Lakewood since April 15, 2019, a period spanning 1,791 days
 
UP NEXT
The Orediggers and Cougars will wrap up their four-game series Sunday with a doubleheader starting at 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.