GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. – Under sunshine and clear skies, the Colorado School of Mines softball team opened the 2024 edition of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Softball Championship with the first game of the day Thursday as they took on another Denver metro team, the five seed Regis. Unfortunately for the Orediggers (29-22), a lack of timely hitting with runners in scoring position led to setback in their tournament opener, as the Rangers (29-24) scored first and withstood a late comeback bid to secure a 4-2 result.
Right away Regis threatened in the first inning, loading the bases with the first three batters of the game by way of an error, single and a walk.
Sadriena Rodriguez (18-8) stood her ground though and pitched out of trouble, retiring the next three Rangers with a foul out, strikeout and a popup to first. Mines managed two runners to start their afternoon as
Kendall Aragon singled with one out and
Sara Larson walked with two outs, but nothing came of it as both starters showed moxie working out of trouble.
After both sides went down in order in the second, the Orediggers threatened in the home third as
Hannah Roberts led off with a single and was joined on base by
Kendall Aragon with a one-out bunt single, but Kylie Harpman managed to avoid danger and keep things scoreless.
Regis finally broke through in the fourth with one out as Abby Larsen drove a two-run home run out to left to take the first lead of the day. Rodirguez rebounded in the fifth as she posted a scoreless frame and once more in the home half, Mines threatened to get on the board with singles in the inning from
Kellan Ton and
Sidney Wilson, but a right place, right time lineout double play ended the inning as the Rangers again tight roped out of trouble.
In the sixth RU added another run with a sacrifice fly to right following a leadoff double and a wild pitch, but
Allison Westbrook came on in relief to end the threat and keep it a 3-0 game. Running low on chances, Mines needed something big to happen and with two outs and a runner on first,
Trystin Oshiro-Sano delivered. The senior came off the bench following a walk by
Lexie Semeyn to hit a clutch two-run home run to straightaway right field and make it a 3-2 game.
Unfortunately for the Orediggers, Regis managed to get one of those runs back in the seventh to make it a two-run game once again, as another sac fly, this time to center, scored Olivia Wick to make it 4-2. Needing to rally in the bottom of the inning, Aragon reached with an infield single to get the tying run to the plate, but a comeback was not to be as Harpman got a lineout and a groundout to end the game and advance to take on top seed and host Colorado Mesa in the third game of the day.
NOTABLES
-Aragon led the way at the plate by going 3-3 and in doing so raised her average to .402 on the season
-Oshiro-Sano hit her 4th career home run with her pinch-hit two-run shot in the sixth and her first since April 3, 2022 against Adams State in Alamosa
-Wilson added a 2-4 day at the plate with two singles
-Roberts, Krueger and Ton all recorded singles as well in the game
-Rodriguez worked 5.1 innings and struck out four while allowing three runs on six hits
-Westbrook worked the final 1.2 innings, allowing one unearned run and allowing only one whit and issuing one walk
UP NEXT
Mines will be playing to keep their season alive Friday at 12:30 p.m. against the loser of the game between Colorado Christian and either MSU Denver or CSU Pueblo.
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.
