COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – After posting their first win of 2025 Sunday, the Colorado School of Mines softball team returned to Mountain Lion Park Monday seeking a series win to open Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference action. While a sweep of Monday's doubleheader was foiled in the final inning of game one, the Orediggers (2-12, 2-2) dazzled at the dish for all 13 innings of play, overcoming a 14-13 walk-off loss in game one to power their way to a win in the finale over the Mountain Lions (7-5, 2-2) behind a historic home run performance by Lexie Semeyn in a 15-4 run rule-shortened five inning victory.
 
Mines picked up in game one Monday right where they left off game two Sunday. Kellan Ton walked and stole second to open the ballgame before scoring on an error off the bat of E Self. Self, who ended up at third on the play, scored moments later on a passed ball before Kendall Aragon coaxed a walk with still no outs in the inning. Cassidy Chvatal, who homered twice in game two of the series, kept it rolling with a shot to the left of the scoreboard in centerfield that left little more than a vapor trail for a two-run blast to make it a 4-0 game right away.
 
After a scoreless second inning, Lexie Semeyn belted her second homer of the season also out toward the left of the scoreboard to make it a 5-0 game. Starter Ellen Shull, who looked crisp early, ran into some issues in the home third as UCCS loaded the bases with no outs in the inning. Following a lineout to shortstop, consecutive singles resulted in three runs four the Mountain Lions and forced a pitching change. Kat Miller (0-5) came on in relief and managed to get out of the inning, but not before two more runs came across on the third single of the inning to tie the game at 5-5.
 
After a solo shot from UCCS gave them their first lead of the day in the fourth, Mines retook the lead in dramatic fashion in the fifth. Aragon singled with one out before being joined on base by Chvatal and Lexie Semeyn with a pair of walks. After a lineout made it seem as if the Mountain Lions would escape the inning, Hannah Roberts made her intentions known as instead of the third out of the inning, the senior blasted her second home run of the weekend to left center for a grand slam to flip the score once more at 9-6.
 
To their credit, UCCS battled back in the home fifth taking advantage of a pair of two-out errors by the Orediggers to even the score at 9-9 behind a two-run double and a throwing miscue from second base. Undeterred, the Orediggers responded by retaking the lead in the sixth. Mia Lopez led off the inning with a bunt single before Ton reached on an infield single of her own. After a groundout moved the pair up 60 feet, Lopez was caught out trying to score on a grounder off the bat of Aragon for the second out as Mines now had runners on the corners with two outs. Fortunately, Mines had the right person at the plate as Chvatal stepped in and stepped out three pitches later, hitting a no-doubter to left field on 0-2 for a three-run home run to take a 12-9 lead.
 
UCCS answered back right away with a leadoff solo home run to left center in the bottom of the frame before an RBI single plated a second run with one out to make it a one-run game at 12-11. Lauren Romero, who entered the game in the sixth as a defensive replacement in Roberts' spot in the lineup, picked a fine time for her first hit of the season, leading up with a line single to center and moving up to second on an error. After Lindy French dropped down a sac bunt, Romero scored on a single back through the box by Lopez to make it a two-run lead at 13-11.
 
However, that lead failed to hold up in the final trips to the dish for UCCS, as Miller got the first two outs easily enough before four consecutive singles resulted in three runs and a walk-off 14-13 win for the home team.
 
A scoreless first inning in the final saw Mines plate a pair in the second to take the early lead. Lexie Semeyn kick the scoring off with a one-out solo home run     to left field. Emily Rogers then worked a two-out walk before ended up a third on a passed ball. The throw to third then sailed wide and into left field as Rogers continued her dash around the bases and beat the return throw home to make it 2-0.
 
Taylor Wayne (2-2) ran into some trouble in the home second, but thanks to her defense was able to hang a zero. A leadoff double to right field was erased three batters later as Lauren Romero fielded a grounder and threw home to get the runner and keep UCCS off the board as a flyout to left ended the inning.
 
After both sides left traffic on base in the third, the Orediggers added onto their lead in the fourth. Semeyn belted her second homer of the game and third of the day straight down the left field line to make it a three-run game. A pair of walks by Hannah Roberts and Emily Rogers followed before a misplay on a sacrifice bunt by Romero saw Roberts race home and score before Rogers crossed home on a sac fly by Mia Lopez/ Kellan Ton then singled home Romero on a slow roller to second as the lead swelled to 6-0. E Self then singled to left center before Kendall Aragon loaded the bases on a fielder's choice as UCCS attempted to get the lead runner at third on a ball back to the circle, but resulted in everyone being safe with no out recorded as the inning continued. Cassidy Chvatal kept it rolling next and shook off a slow start to the game with a ringing three-run double down the line in left to extend the lead to nine. After a force out at third for the second out of the inning , Emily Rogers stepped in and lined a single through the left side of the infield to score Semeyn from second and make it a 10-0 Mines lead. After Romero walked to load the bases, Lopez made it 11-0 after she was plunked in the leg to force home a run before a grounder off the bat of Ton was mishandled by the shortstop and allowed the 10th run of the inning to score in the person of Rogers. A fielder's choice force at second finally ended the inning for UCCS, but not before 16 batters went to the plate in the inning as the Orediggers blew the game open with 10 runs on five hits with two errors in the inning.
 
After Wayne hung another zero in the home fourth, Mines showed they weren't done in the fifth. After an Aragon doubled and a flyout to start the inning, Semeyn stepped in and stepped out with a two-run shot to left field to make it a 14-0 lead. Pinch hitter Kailey Morales then was hit by a pitch and lifted for runner Sam Whisenand who scored two batters later on an RBI groundout by Romero to make it 15-0.
 
A shutout was not meant to be as a leadoff home run in the bottom of the frame got UCCS on the board. Wayne rebounded with a pair of groundouts to the left side of the infield before a pair of walks and a single loaded the bases. A two-run double and a run-scoring single both to right field made it an 11-run game, but a lineout to third ended things and closed the book on a 15-4 win in the finale to split the doubleheader and the series.
 
NOTABLES
-Chvatal homered twice for the second game in a row in the opener, going 2-3 with five RBI and three runs scored; her five RBI performance in game one is the first by an Oredigger since Sara Larson drive in five on March 19, 2022 against UCCS in Colorado Springs
-Chvatal also hit a three-run double in game two and ended the series 7-14 with a double, four home runs and 12 RBI while slugging 1.000
-Semeyn hit her second home run of the series and went 1-2 with two walks and two runs scored in the opener before leaving the yard three times in the finale and driving in four; with her performance, she tied the program single-game home run record of three which last happened on April 18, 2012 when Sarah Lustgraaf did so against UCCS over 4,680 days ago
-Of the now six players who have homered three times in a game, four of those games have come against UCCS
-Semeyn finished the series 7-11 with five home runs, nine RBI, seven runs scored and three walks on her way to a .667 OBP and slugging 2.000
-Roberts also hit her second big fly of the series with the grand slam in game one; her grand slam is the first by a Mines player since Clara Larson did so against Midwestern State on February 2, 2018
-Ton recorded a hit in each game and scored three times on the afternoon
-Aragon also hit safely in each game and scored five runs in the doubleheader
-Romero recorded a hit, RBI and scored in each game
-Lopez recorded two hits in the opener and finished the day with three RBI, driving in two in the finale
-Mines totaled seven home runs Sunday and hit 12 in the four-game series, leaving them just nine back of their total from the whole of last season in which they hit 19
 
UP NEXT
The Orediggers make their 2025 home debut next weekend at the newly-resurfaced Joe Coors, Jr. Softball Field against Fort Lewis February 22-23.
 
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.