DENVER, Colo. – Back on the road Saturday but still keeping it close to home, the Colorado School of Mines softball team kicked off their final eight-game stint away from home against Regis to open week six of Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference play. Despite Orediggers (7-25, 6-15) putting up their best single-day offensive showing of the season with 21 runs on 32 hits, the Rangers (11-20, 8-12) did just a little better in each leg of the doubleheader, taking both games by scores of 14-11 and 16-10.
 
The afternoon started with Mines putting up a four-spot in the top of the first. Kendall Aragon doubled to left center on a 1-0 count before coming around to score on a single back up the box by Cassidy Chvatal. Lexie Semeyn followed with a double and after a Hannah Roberts walk, Lindy French doubled the other way to right center to clear the bases and make it a 4-0 game. Regis came right back with three of their own as a single, walk and an error led to their first run before Abby Larsen singled home a run on a ball up the middle as Morgan Norris made it a one-run game on a sac fly.
 
Neither offense slowed down in the second as the lineups turned over and four more runs combined to go on the board. For the Orediggers, a leadoff walk by Mia Lopez resulted in a run three batters later when Aragon singled up the middle to make it 5-3. RU plated another three runs in their half of the inning with a one-out fielder's choice to third with bases loaded before Olivia Wick lined a two-run double to right field to take the lead 6-5.
 
Neither side scored in the third while in the fourth, Chvatal came around to score on a sac fly by Roberts after she reached on a one-out error to tie the score at 6-6. Taylor Wayne (3-8) came back with another scoreless frame in the fourth, stranding a one-out baserunner at third to keep things level.
 
Mines left a pair in the fifth before the Rangers re-took the lead for the second time with a one-out RBI single by Lima Magana with bases loaded, but the defense dug in and helped Wayn escape further damage with a force out at home and a groundout to third.
 
Aragon led off the Oredigger sixth with a ringing triple to center and subsequently tied the game on a sac fly by Chvatal three pitches later. Semeyn kept the inning going with a double to left and after a lineout to third, she came around to score on an opposite field double by French as the lead changed hands again at 8-7. Unfortunately for Mines, Regis broke the game open in their half of the inning, scoring seven runs on four hits, two errors and a hit by pitch with the big blow being a two-run double by Mya Chacon as they retook the lead for good at 14-8.
 
To their credit, the Orediggers fought until the very end, halving the deficit in the top of the seventh. After a one-out single by Ton, Aragon reached on an E8 in the outfield to set the table for Chvatal, who left little doubt on a 2-1 offering, blasting a three-run shot to left to make it 14-11 before a flyout ended the opener.
 
The Rangers went ahead first as play resumed in game two, scoring three in the first on a pair of sacrifice flies and an RBI double by Morgan Norris to take the early lead. Mines came back with five in the second as Lexie Semeyn got the rally going with a four-pitch walk leading off. After a flyout, Lindy French and Kailey Morales both singled to load the bases for Mia Lopez, who delivered out of the nine hole with a two-run base hit to left center to get the Orediggers on the board before being tagged out at second on the play. Kellan Ton followed with a run-scoring single and after stealing second, came around to score on a double to left by Emiaj Self to take a 4-3 lead. Self then scampered home as the Rangers mishandled the throw back in from the outfield as she advanced two bases on the error to score and take a two-run lead. RU responded with three more runs in their half of the second thanks to an error and a two-run home run to make it 6-5.
 
After Hallie Crappell and Kat Miller (3-9) traded zeros in the third, a combined five runs went on the board in the fourth. Morales and Lopez both singled to open the frame and advanced into scoring position following a pitch in the dirt before an RBI groundout by Self and an RBI single by Aragon saw the lead change hands again at 7-6. Three more runs followed for the Rangers in the form of a pair of two-out singles up the middle by Larsen and Bella Bordine to retake the lead 9-7.
 
The fifth saw French and Morales score with two outs after Lopez lined a single to right center and briefly tie things at nine before Regis hung up six the next half inning, with just one extra-base hit in the frame and all six runs scoring on singles to make it 15-9. RU added one more in the sixth on an RBI triple to right field and while Mines did get a run in the seventh on Lopez's fourth hit of the game to score pinch runner Sam Whisenand, that was all as a fielder's choice followed by a 6-4-3 double played ended the game with a final score of 16-10.
 
NOTABLES
-Aragon went 6-9 on the afternoon with a double and a triple in each game of the doubleheader and scored three times while driving in two
-French went 6-8 with a pair of three-hit outings, driving in four and hitting her first two career doubles in game one before scoring twice in game two
-Chvatal celebrated her birthday by taking over sole possession of first on the RMAC home run leaderboard, homering for the third consecutive game in the opener with her 11th of the season as part of a 2-3 performance with five RBI and three runs scored; she now ranks tied for fifth with Kaleigh Starr (2010) for most home runs in a season and the 21 in her career are now tied for sixth with Molly Thiebaut (2010-13) and Kamee Vessey (2012-13)
-Morales recorded the first four-hit game of her career in game two, going 4-4 with a double and scoring three times in game two for her fifth multi-hit game of the season
-Lopez turned in her best performance of the season in game two as part of a five-hit afternoon, going 4-4 with five RBI in that fame and stealing a base
-Ton registered three hits on the day including a pair in game one and scored twice while driving in a run
-Self doubled, scored a run and drove in two in game two
 
UP NEXT
Mines and Regis wrap up their four-game series with another doubleheader Sunday 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.