PUEBLO, Colo. – On the road Saturday under clear skies but dealing with some gale-force winds, the Colorado School of Mines softball team was at the Rawlings Sports Complex for the first two games of their series against CSU Pueblo. The Orediggers (19-17, 15-13) came out ahead in a low-scoring extra innings affair in the opener, posting a 2-1 win in eight innings before suffering a tough result in game two as the ThunderWolves (15-26, 13-17) rallied for five runs in the sixth inning to post a 6-5 result in game two to split the first day of the series.
 
Kendall Aragon posted the day's first hit with an infield single and following a groundout to second, Sara Larson and Lexie Semeyn joined the sophomore on base with consecutive two-out walks to set the stage for a run scoring opportunity, but a strikeout resulted in a zero on the scoreboard. CSU Pueblo also got a few baserunners in the first as a one-out error allowed Raelynn Rogers to reach, but she was erased on a caught stealing on a walk to Emma Case before an error ended the inning.
 
In the second, the ThunderWolves got a leadoff baserunner when Madelyn Huerta was plunked on a 2-0 delivery, but Sadriena Rodriguez (11-6) was able to strand her at second following a sac bunt by getting a strikeout and a groundout to keep things scoreless.
 
The third saw the top of the lineup back up for the Orediggers and once again, Aragon reached but this time by way of a one-out error. After stealing second, she moved up to third on a groundout to shortstop but was left stranded 60 feet away as McKenna James induced a groundout to retire the side. In the home half, Caitlyn Cole's 22nd double of the year gave CSUP a chance to score with one out, again Rodriguez was nails as she retired the next two batters to leave a runner in scoring position. Traffic on the bases continued in the fourth as Kayleigh Krueger and Emily Rogers each worked a walk in the inning, but again the Orediggers couldn't find that timely hit to break the seal for the first run of the game. CSU Pueblo got back-to-back singles by Huerta and Ashley Tosh and looked to be in business with runners at the corners and no one out, but a fielder's choice saw Mines cut down the go-ahead run at the dish before Rodriguez struck out a pinch hitter and got and groundout to leave a pair and keep things scoreless.
 
Heading to the fifth and still in search of the day's first run, Mines finally broke through with two outs to take the lead. Sidney Wilson singled back up the middle and went first to third on a single to right field by Larson to put runner on the corners for Semeyn, who sat on a 2-1 pitch and singled to the shortstop on the left side but did the job as a run scored to make it a 1-0 game. Unfortunately, the lead was short-lived as the nine-hole hitter Delaney Barela led off the home half with a solo home run to left to draw back even as Rodriguez did a good job limiting the damage to just one, working around two singles as Semeyn threw out a base stealer in Cole while the left-hander picked up a strikeout and got a flyout to leave a runner.
 
In the sixth inning, Cassidy Chvatal led the frame off with a walk and was lifted for pinch runner Sam Whisenand. The freshman stole second and moved up to third on a groundout to first with one out, but a good play defensively saw her cut down trying to score on a fielder's choice off the bat of Hannah Roberts. As the lineup turned over, Kellan Ton walked on five pitches as the Orediggers tried to rally with two outs, but a strikeout ended things and left two more on base. Rodriguez fanned the first two batters in the home sixth before CSUP threatened with pinch-hit double to left center by Isabella Hewitt, but a groundout to third dashed any hopes of scoring the go-ahead run as the game progressed to the seventh.
 
In the seventh, it was Larson who looked to help retake the lead as she reached to represent the go-ahead run with a one-out single before stealing second to get into scoring position, but two groundouts saw James get out of any trouble and send it to the home half. With a chance to win it without extras, the ThunderWolves got a two-out single from Rogers but got nothing out of it as Rodriguez got a flyout to left to get some free softball in the opener.
 
Opening up the eighth, Chvatal led things off for Mines and provided some fireworks just five pitches into extras, blasting a 2-2 pitch out to left field for her fourth home run of the season to retake the lead, but one was all the Orediggers ended up with as Rogers walked and moved around the bases to third before being left stranded. Look to rally like they did the last time Mines scored, CSU Pueblo got a one-out single by Huerta against Rodriguez, but the fifth-year senior out of Imperial, California slammed the door shut, getting a flyout to center and picking up her fifth strikeout of the day to end things and cap a 2-1 win.
 
Game two started off with a bang right away as Kellan Ton doubled down the line in left before scoring moments later on a bunt attempt by Kendall Aragon as a throw by the third base Rogers was up the line and took Barela into the path of Aragon the two collided at first as the ball rolled away and into right field. Sara Larson walked two batters later to put two on with one out, but back-to-back strikeouts saw CSUP dance out of danger. The ThunderWolves came right back in their first trip to the plate and tied things up three batters into the game on a ball that got up in the wind and carried out to the wall in center field off the bat of Emma Case before another single and an error loaded the bases, but a double play ball out to Sidney Wilson saw Mines escape a potential early disaster as the game moved to the second tied at 1-1.
 
After both sides left a runner in the second, the Orediggers plated a pair in the third with two outs. Sara Larson singled and stole second before scoring on a ball back up the middle by Lexie Semeyn, who scored moments later on a flair to left by Kayleigh Krueger and a throwing error when attempting to get the ball back in to make it a 3-1 game. Kat Miller came back with a shutout 1-2-3 inning, getting three groundouts to send things to the fourth as the offense kept rolling along. Emily Rogers singled through the left side and stole second before advancing to third on a strikeout as she looked to come home to score. Kellan Ton was next up as she hit one on the ground out to shortstop as CSUP looked to nail Rogers at home, but the throw was off target as one freshman scored and the other ended up at second on the play. After a groundout, Sidney Wilson dug in and laced a single to shallow right center on an 0-1 count to bring Ton around from second without a throw as the lead moved to 5-1. Back-to-back walks for the ThunderWolves looked to have them in business in the home half as they looked to get back into the game, but a 4-6-3 double play played a big part in Miller getting out of the inning, as a second two-out baserunner following a hit by pitch was followed by a pop out to Hannah Roberts at second to leave a pair.
 
Both sides left a runner on base in the fifth while Mines left two in the sixth, allowing CSU Pueblo an opportunity to climb back into it. A leadoff triple in the home half came home to score on an E4 before a two-run home run to left field by Tosh trimmed it down it a one-run game at 5-4 and chased Miller. Allison Westbrook (4-3) came on in relief and retired the first batter she faced, but a single and a double by Darela and Cole tied the game at 5-5. After getting Cole out in a run down between third and home, the go-ahead run in Raelynn Rogers scored on a tough error in center by Aragon as she nearly had to run all the way to the infield to try and corral a wind-blown fly ball on a gusty day. Westbrook did manage to keep it a one-run game as a foul out to third ended the sixth.
 
Now trailing a run in the seventh, Krueger reached right away with an infield single to third as the potential tying run. After a flyout to left, Krueger was replaced on base by Rogers as the result of a fielder's choice force out at second. Roberts extended the inning with a single the other way to right to put runners at the corners and turn the lineup back over to Ton, but a rally was not meant to be as Marissa Robertson recorded the final out of the game by way of a strikeout to help the ThunderWolves split on Saturday, taking game two by a final score of 6-5 as Mines left 11 runners on base.
 
NOTABLES
-Chvatal went 1-3 with a home run and a walk in game one and now has four home runs on the season,
-Larson posted a 2-3 effort with a walk and a stolen base in the opener while going 1-3 with a run scored and another steal in game two
-Wilson went 1-4 with a run scored in game one and finished the day 1-2 with a walk, stolen base and an RBI in game two
-Semeyn and Aragon each singled in the opener with the former adding a 2-4 effort with an RBI and a run scored in game two.
-Krueger came back in game two to post a 2-4 performance
-Rogers got the start at designated player in both games and recorded a 2-4 performance with a run scored and a steal of second in the day's second game for her second two-hit game of the season after walking twice in game one
-Rodriguez picked up her 11th win of the season, working all eight innings for a new season high and striking out five against just one walk and allowing a run on nine hits; she's now just 5.2 innings away from tying pitching coach Libby Balogh for seventh on the all-time innings list and is up to 320 career strikeouts while going over 100 innings pitched in a season for the second time in her career
-Miller took a no-decision in game two, working into the sixth inning and finishing her day with five innings pitched, a strikeout and four runs (three earned) on six hits
-With the game one win in extras innings, Mines gets back to .500 on the season at 2-2 in games that go past the scheduled seven innings
 
UP NEXT
The Orediggers and ThunderWolves close the weekend 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.