GOLDEN, Colo. – Back at home after spending the last two weeks on the road, the Colorado School of Mines softball team took the field at Joe Coors, Jr. Softball Field looking to keep their home field success going in 2024 Saturday against UCCS. In a pair of tightly-contested games, it was the Orediggers (22-18, 18-14) who came away on top both times, winning in their final at bats of each game to post a pair of walk-off results over the Mountain Lions (15-28, 12-22) by twin scores of 5-4 in seven and eight innings respectively.
 
In the opener it was the visitors who scored first by way of an RBI single down the left field line by the reigning RMAC Player of the Week Gianna Pancost after Jacqueline Berkowitz laid down a bunt single and advanced into scoring position on a throwing error on the play.
 
After the scoreless innings at the plate to start the day, Mines finally broke through in the fourth as Sidney Wilson's one-out single dashed any hopes of a no-hitter by Autumn Kunze as by the time the play was over Wilson found herself standing at third following an error in centerfield. A squeeze bunt by Sara Larson three pitches later tied the game at 1-1 and while the Orediggers has a chance to take the lead, a two-out double by Lexie Semeyn went by the wayside as the score remained even.
 
After giving up the run in the first inning and waiting for her offense to pick her up, Sadriena Rodriguez (13-6) tightened the screws and made it tough sledding for the UCCS offense, working a 1-2-3 inning in the second before leaving traffic on base in each the third, fourth and fifth innings, striking out six and allowing just two hits over that span.
 
After breaking through for a run in the fourth, the Orediggers popped off for three in the fifth. Emily Rogers led the frame off with a single to right and ended up at third after another fielding error in the outfield to set the table. Following an infield pop up, Kellan Ton Laced a sinking line drive to left center that saw Rogers tag up and beat a strong throw to the plate to score the go-ahead run. Kendall Aragon restarted the rally with a bunt single to third as Wilson followed up with a double to left to drive in a run and make it 3-1. Sam Whisenand came on at second to pinch un and scored four pitches later as Larson lined one back through the box for the third run of the inning to make it 4-1.
 
UCCS looked to answer in the sixth, getting a one-out walk and a two-out single to put runners on the corners, but Rodriguez induced a groundout to second to end the inning. Looking to finish things off in the seventh, but a leadoff single gave the Mountain Lions hope. After a strikeout, Katelyn Kilgore worked a walk out of the nine-hole to turn the lineup over to Alyssa Gutierrez, who reached on an error off the glove of Krueger at first as the recovery by Hannah Roberts at second wasn't in time as the bases now stood loaded with one out. A shallow flyout down the left field line made it look like Mines might get out of trouble, but a bases-clearing triple to right field spelled disaster with two outs as UCCS tied the game at 4-4 before a flyout ended the inning.
 
Reeling from a game-changing swing in the top of the inning, Mines had to refocus in the home half of the inning and got off to a good start as Roberts singled into center representing the tying run and turning the lineup back over. Ton advanced Roberts 60 feet the hard way as she was drilled first pitch as things moved to Aragon, who laid down a great bunt up the third base line and legged out the infield single while the throw was wide of its mark and allowed Roberts to come across to score the winning run to cap a 5-4 win.
 
Game two started off with Mines cracking the scoreboard first, plating three in their first trip to the dish. Kellan Ton kicked things off with a ringing triple to left center and subsequently scored on a single up the middle by Kendall Aragon. Sidney Wilson followed with a single of her own to right center that saw Aragon race all the way around from first and Wilson end up at third on an errant throw to the backstop on the relay back to make it 2-0. Sara Larson reached on an error by the pitcher but was thrown out trying to swipe second as it looked like the early rally might come to an end, but a walk from Lexie Semeyn kept the line moving to Kayleigh Krueger who lined a sac fly to center to score Wilson and make it 3-0.
 
Kat Miller thanked her offense in kind by spinning a 1-2-3 second and leaving a runner in the third to keep the Mountain Lions off the board before the Orediggers added another in the home third. Larson got the ball rolling with a single back through the box before successfully swiping second and moving up to third on an infield single by Semeyn. Krueger hit another ball in the air out to center that saw Larson score with ease as the throw sailed into the backstop netting and allowed Semeyn to move up 60 feet on the error as Mines looked to maybe add a second run, but an infield pop up ended the frame with just one run across.
 
UCCS finally got to Miller in the fourth, as a single by Fort Lewis transfer Izzy Giroux and a misplay in center resulted in a one-out baserunner. Following a groundout that moved the pinch runner up to third, Jennavieve Goldsworth singled through the right side to make it 4-1 before a groundout to Wilson ended the inning.
 
The Mountain Lions kept things going in the fifth starting with a leadoff triple followed by a walk as Miller's day came to an end with Allison Westbrook taking over in the circle. After a steal of second by pinch runner Maddie Unrein, a passed ball allowed Haley Busshart to score before Alyssa Gutierrez worked a walk to put runners on the corners. Gutierrez then proceeded to steal second as the Mines defense opted to throw through trying to get the out, but a safe call and no return throw home allowed Unrein to score and make it 4-3 before Westbrook retired the final three batters to preserve the lead.
 
Mines had a chance to get those runs back in the bottom of the inning as Larson worked a one-out walk and was joined on base by Krueger with a two-out singled through the left side, but a strikeout left them stranded as it remained a one-run game.
 
With momentum squarely in their dugout, UCCS tied the game with one out in the sixth by way of a one-out triple into the right field corner by Goldsworth followed by a single from Jacquelynne Siefken to draw even at 4-4. Westbrook battled back to get the second out and worked around a wild pitch and a single to get a flyout to center to leave a pair and keep things tied.
 
After her offense came up empty in their half of the sixth, Westbrook went back to work in the seventh, but things started off shaky with back-to-back singles. Following a sacrifice bunt that moved both runners, the defense stepped up to keep UCCS off the board as a grounder to Krueger came right back to Semeyn at the plate who tagged out Berkowitz before Goldsworth flew out to Ton in left to end the inning. After two quick outs in the home seventh, Semeyn doubled to right center representing the go-ahead run, but UCCS pitcher Kailey Bond continued her strong outing as pitched out of trouble to send the game into extra innings.
 
Siefken led off with a single in the eighth for the Mountain Lions as the Orediggers made another pitching change, bringing back Sadriena Rodriguez (14-6) as she wasted no time getting Mines off the field, striking out the first two she faced before getting a flyout to right to strand the go-ahead run at first. Looking for some more late inning heroics, Trystin Oshiro-Sano led things off with a single through the right side and was lifted at first as Cassidy Chvatal, who started the game in right field, re-entered to take over on the bases as the potential game-winning run. After an infield pop up, Roberts also singled through the right side to put runners at first and second as the top of the order and Ton came back to the plate. In what ended up being almost an identical situation as the end of game one, Ton battled to a 2-2 count before chopping a slow roller out to third, legging out an infield single with her game-changing speed and forcing yet another throwing miscue on the play, as again the throw to first missed its mark and allowed Chvatal to trot home for the winning run to cap a Saturday sweep with a second 5-4 result.
 
NOTABLES
-Aragon posted a 2-4 outing in game one with a run scored before going 1-4 with an RBI and a run in game two and now sports a four-game hitting streak
-Wilson went drove in a run and scored in each game while posting a double in the opener as part of a 3-7 afternoon and has now hit safely in her last eight games
-Roberts also went 3-7, hitting safely in each game and scoring a run in game one and continues to swing it well, now riding a five-game hitting streak
-Semeyn finished the afternoon 3-6 with a double in each game, bringing her season total to seven with three in the last six games as she extended her hitting streak to six games
-Ton drove in a run in game one while stealing a base, tripling and scoring in game two and is now 16-16 on stolen bases, moving into a tie for the sixth-most in a season with Brielle Asato (2016, 2018) and Lauren Decker (2022)
-Larson had a hit and a stolen base in each game, driving in two in game one and scoring in the second game and is up to 12 steals on the year and now owns a seven-game hitting streak
-Krueger drove in a pair of runs in game two and flashed the leather at first all day long making several gold star plays in big spots and now has 20 RBI for the year as well as driving in at least 20 runs in each of her four seasons at Mines
-Rodriguez picked up the win in both games, spinning a complete-game effort in the opener with 10 strikeouts and allowing seven hits while all four runs she allowed were unearned, while in game two she came back to work the final inning, striking out two
-Mines is now 9-1 in true home games this season and is on a six-game home winning streak
-Mines is also now three games shy of matching their overall win total from 2023 and two wins away from matching last season's RMAC mark
-Saturday marked the first time since 2018 the Orediggers and Mountain Lions played in Golden and with the two wins, have now win the last six meetings at Joe Coors, Jr. Field over a period spanning 2,226 days
 
UP NEXT
Mines and UCCS close out their four-game series Sunday with doubleheader action 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.