GOLDEN, Colo. – For the first time in 2025, the Colorado School of Mines softball team took the field at the newly-resurfaced Joe Coors, Jr. Softball Field Saturday for the first time in official competition as they hosted Fort Lewis in the first two games of a four-game Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference series. Timely hitting over the course of the afternoon along with clutch defense and strong pitching led the Orediggers (4-12, 4-2) to a sweep of the Skyhawks (1-9, 0-5) on the first day of action, christening the newest version of their home venue with wins by scores of 5-2 and 6-2.
 
Both sides left runners on base to open the series in the first inning of game one as Alyssa Fockler reached on a two-out error in the top of the frame before Kendall Aragon doubled and advanced to third on an error in the home half before being stranded. Mines fired the opening salvo in the second inning, plating a pair of one-out runs to take the early lead. After Lexie Semeyn walked on four pitches to open the inning, Hannah Roberts moved her up 60 feet with a sacrifice bunt before Emily Rogers singled the other way to right field for the opening run of the game. Rogers took second on the throw and subsequently scored on the next pitch as Lauren Romero lined a single to left center to double the lead to 2-0.
 
Taylor Wayne (3-2) got the Orediggers back in the dugout quickly after needing just six pitches to retire the side even with a allowing a hit in the top of the third inning. Mia Lopez led off the bottom of the inning with a single down the left field line before scoring on an error in left field off the bat of Kendall Aragon to make it a three-run advantage.
 
Wayne spun a 1-2-3 fourth inning before running into a spell of trouble in the fifth. A leadoff single and a one-out hit by pitch by Makenna Milliman and Natalie Rodman put runners at first and second for Alyssa Fockler, who singled to left center to score Milliman. Milliman and Rodman each moved up 60 feet as Kellan Ton and Aragon got tangled up in left center, leading to Cali Niccum driving in a run with two outs on a single up the middle to make it 3-2.
 
Looking for a response, Lopez led off the home fifth with an infield single to short and after Aragon laid down a sac bunt, Cassidy Chvatal hit a ball to left field that traveled about as high as it did far, just clearing the 10-foot fence 220 feet away in left field for a two-run home run to make it a three-run lead again at 5-2.
 
Wayne came back with another quick inning in the sixth, striking out a pair of Skyhawks before having to deal with a pair of baserunners with two outs in the seventh, but had no issues finishing off her third consecutive win as a flyout to Aragon in center wrapped up the win in the series opener.
 
Game two opened with starters Allison Westbrook (1-2) and Amiee Shanks throwing scoreless frames for the first two innings, but taking different routes to arrive at the same destination. Both starters walked runners in the first inning while in the second, Fort Lewis managed to load the bases with no outs against Westbrook before she got some help from Mia Lopez. A fly ball off the bat of Sienna Mullin was flagged down on the run in right field by Mia Lopez, who came up throwing and delivered a strike to Kailey Morales at the dish to cut down Rodman at the plate for a double play before a comebacker to the circle ended the threat.
 
Mines went down in order in their half of the second and after Westbrook negotiated around another walk in the third, the Orediggers again struck first with two runs to take the lead. Morales led the inning off by reaching first base on a via wild pitch on a third strike before a sac bunt and a fielding error put runners at the corners with Morales on third and Kellan Ton on first. Ton broke for second with Lopez at the dish as she pulled up before the bag in a designed play, looking to allow Morales a chance to score. The rundown went long enough that Morales managed to streak home and evade the tag, sliding in safe while Ton ended up at second when the dust settled. After a groundout, Kendall Aragon plated Ton with an RBI single through the right side to doubled the lead to 2-0.
 
FLC got a run back in the fourth as a leadoff walk came around to score with one out on a single to left field before a lineout and a groundout by Westbrook ended the inning. The Orediggers got that run right back and then some in the bottom of the frame as three straight singles by Emily Rogers, Lauren Romero and Rogers produced a run. Lindy French loaded the bases after she reached on an error and after it looked like the Skyhawks might get out of the inning with just one run allowed following a fielder's choice force out at home, Lopez singled to left to plate Morales and make it a 4-1 game.
 
A single, wild pitch, flyout to left center and an RBI double was how the fifth started for Fort Lewis as Mines made a call to the bullpen, bringing in Kat Miller with one out in the inning in a two-run game. Miller managed to get out of the inning, but not without some drama as the junior walked the bases loaded before inducing a flyout to Aragon to end the inning. Two more runs came home for the Orediggers in their half as Cassidy Chvatal started the rally with a single through the left side of the infield. Sam Whisenand took over running at first base before Lexie Semeyn followed with a single up the middle to put runners at first and second before wild pitch advanced both runners 60 feet and made it 5-2.  Semeyn was thrown out at home on a fielder's choice off the bat of Rogers and after Romero drew a 3-1 walk, Morales came through with a single to center to score Rogers and make it a four-run lead.
 
Miller worked a 1-2-3 frame in the sixth before having to negotiate a pair of one-out walks in the seventh as a fielder's choice force at third preceded a strikeout to cap off the save in a 6-2 win to sweep the doubleheader.
 
NOTABLES
-Chvatal homered for the fifth time in four games in the opener and recorded a hit in each game Saturday to extend her hitting streak to six games
-Lopez finished the day 3-8 with a two-hit outing in the opener with two runs scored and an RBI
-Aragon went 3-5 with an RBI highlighted by a two-hit showing in game two and has now hit safely in the last eight games
-Morales went 2-3 with two runs and two RBI in game two, tying her single-season career high with seven RBI behind her second multi-RBI game of the season
-Ton hit safely in each game and stole a pair of bags in game two and also ran her hitting streak to six games
-Rogers went 2-6 with a hit in each game while scoring three times and driving in a run
-Wayne spun a gem in her third straight win, striking out a season-best five against just two walks and scattering two runs on seven hits in game one
-Westbrook had her best outing of the season in game two, working 4.1 innings and allowing just two runs despite four hits and five walks allowed
-Miller recorded her first save of the season and second of her career, working the final 2.2 innings and striking out a season-high three without allowing a hit
-Mines pitching combined to strand 21 Fort Lewis runners on base in the sweep
 
UP NEXT
Mines closes out the weekend with the Skyhawks Sunday with another 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.