GOLDEN, Colo. – Back at home a week earlier than expected and playing the role of visitors on their own field this weekend, the Colorado School of Mines softball team resumed Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference action Friday afternoon against Black Hills State. The Orediggers (10-26, 9-16) rode a strong pitching performance in the opener before staving off a rally by the Yellow Jackets (18-16, 16-10) in game two, using another outstanding outing in the circle and some extra-innings magic to complete the sweep of doubleheader action by scores of 4-2 and 10-7 in nine innings.
Black Hills State struck first in the bottom of the first inning with Desi Hernandez split the right center gap for an RBI double to score Carly Reyes Mims to go ahead early. The Yellow Jackets looked to add more but
Allison Westbrook (2-3) induced an inning-ending 6-4-3 double play to avert further damage.
After the Orediggers struck out five times in the first two innings against Laci Peskey, they broke through in the third with two outs to level the score at 1-1.
Kellan Ton lined a two-strike single the other way to left field before going first to third on a single through the right side by
Emiaj Self. A double steal of second and home by the duo resulted in Ton scoring before a lineout ended the inning.
Westbrook settled in after the early run in the circle, going 1-2-3 in the second inning before stranding a runner in the third as BHSU botched a double steal attempt of their own with runners at the corners and two outs as Hernandez was gunned down at second a strong throw by
Lexie Semeyn and a quick tag by Self before Tyler Whitlock was able to break for the plate before the third out of the frame.
After Westbrook stranded a pair of one-out baserunners in the fourth, Mines again worked some two-out magic to take the lead in the fifth.
Lauren Romero laced a single to left field with one out before Ton reached on an infield single to shortstop with two outs to bring Self to the dish. The redshirt freshman came through, delivering a two-run double to the wall in left center to take the lead 3-1.
The Orediggers added an insurance run in the sixth as
Cassidy Chvatal homered for the third consecutive contest and the seventh time in the last nine games, sending a leadoff shot to straightaway center to make it 4-1 after just missing going yard with a warning track shot in the fourth.
BHSU got that run back in the home sixth as Carli Maley's RBI groundout to third scored pinch runner Andria Fitch following a leadoff double by Ashlynn Pauwels. That cleared the traffic on the bases as Westbrook retired the next two she faced to end the inning.
After Mines went down in order in the seventh, the Yellow Jackets looked to rally in the home half but would have to do so against a new arm as
Taylor Wayne took over in the circle looking for the final three outs. 10 pitches later, the action was over as Wayne went lineout, strikeout, groundout against the 8-9-1 hitters of the order to record the save and close the book on a 4-2 win.
Game two opened with a combined 11 runs over the first two innings of play.
Kellan Ton got things going with a single before stealing second. After a flyout,
Kendall Aragon singled and took second on the throw to put two in scoring position before
Cassidy Chvatal stepped in an hit a long fly ball nearly to the foul pole in right field before Alysaa Wong flagged it down, but the result was a positive and rare one as both Ton and Aragon scored for the two-run sac fly. Tyler Whitlock got the Yellow Jackets on the board in the home first a flare down the right field line fell in for a double as
Lindy French and
Mia Lopez collided on the play while the throw back in sailed into left field, allowing Whitlock to coast home and make it a 2-1 game before
Taylor Wayne settled in and stranded a runner following a two-out single to end the inning.
Five runs on five hits followed for the Orediggers in the second inning as
Hannah Roberts, who took over the previous inning at second for French after she was shaken up in the collision, singled up the middle before being joined on bases by
Kailey Morales following a walk. Roberts then advanced to third following a popped up bunt attempt by
Lauren Romero that was hauled in by Pauwels who collided with the catcher Hernandez on the play. Both players continued on as the next batter
Mia Lopez lined a single to right center to score Roberts. A flyout to deep center by Ton moved Morales and Lopez into scoring position before
Emiaj Self singled up the middle to plate both and make it a 5-1 game. Aragon kept the line moving with a double to left center before
Cassidy Chvatal hammered a line drive triple to the wall in right center to clear the bases and make it 7-1.
The Yellow Jackets had something to say about the big inning by Mines, as they hung a crooked number of their own in the home half. Back-to-back one-out doubles by Taylor Dowden and Peskey resulted in a run before a two-out double by Whitlock brought home another run. A wild pitch a single to left field later, the score stood at 7-4 before Wayne got a force out at second to end the frame.
A scoreless third saw two more runs for BHSU in the home fourth. Peskey continued to do it all, belting a one-out solo homer to center before Wong singled to left to bring about a pitching change.
Kat Miller (4-10) came on and got a lineout to second against the first batter she faced before another double, this time from Reyes Mims, scored Wong to make it 7-6. Miller got out of a jam, leaving two runners following a single up the middle as a groundout to shortstop sent the game to the fifth.
Black Hills State leveled things following an unconventional 1-2-3 inning on defense as again Peskey was I the middle of it, dropping a single in behind first base down the right field line to score pinch runner Anna Gietzen following a leadoff single by Maley. Miller buckled down and left two on base with a foul out and a fielder's choice to end the inning.
Reliever Paige Goodell kept BHSU in the game while Miller continued her strong month of march as both relievers kept the opposition off the scoreboard as seven innings came and went with the score level at 7-7. Goodell, who took over in the third inning, allowed only two hits and left five on base while Miller scattered six hits and allowed just one unearned run as the game headed to extras.
Goodell went 1-2-3 in the eighth while Miller worked around a leadoff walk in both the seventh and eighth to strand the winning run and continue to give her offense a chance. That chance came in the top of the ninth as Aragon singled through the left side with one out before Chvatal smashed a 3-1 doubled to left center to put two in scoring position. After
Sam Whisenand took over running duties at second, Peskey took over in the circle in relief after spinning 123 pitches in her game one start.
Lexie Semeyn was first to greet her and after a wild pitch scored Aragon, the Mines backstop scored Whisenand with a sac fly to deep center to make it a 9-7 game.
Emily Rogers, who took over at second in the sixth for Roberts, singled through the left side and scored moments later on a steal of second as the throw took a crazy carom and ended up in left center, allowing the sophomore to scamper home to make it a three-run game.
Miller came back out in the bottom of the inning and toed the slab once more, needing only seven pitches to finish things off as a pair of groundouts followed by a strikeout wrapped up the 10-7 win.
NOTABLES
-Westbrook turned in one of the best outings of her career, going six strong innings in the opener and striking out two and issuing just three walks with two runs allowed on six hits
-Wayne collected her first save of the season in game one before starting in game two, working 3.1 innings and striking out a pair; the save was the third of her career and first since March 29, 2022 also against Black Hills State at home
-Miller collected the win in relief in game two, allowing just a lone unearned run while fanning four against two walks and scattering six hits in 5.2 innings.
-Self recorded a three-hit afternoon, going 202 with a double and two RBI in game one before scoring and driving in two more with an RBI single in game two
-Chavtal had a big day as well, homering for the third consecutive game to start the series and tie the single-season home run record of 15 before going 2-3 with a double, a triple and four RBI in game two
-Aragon shook off a tough start in game one to go 3-5 with a double and three runs scored in game two
-Ton also posted a three-hit day, going 2-4 with a stolen base and a pair of runs in the opener and following by going 1-4 with a walk, another steal and a run in game two
-Roberts delivered off the bench in game two, going 2-2 with a walk and a run scored
-Semeyn and Lopez each drove in runs in the extra-innings win in game two
UP NEXT
It'll be an early start Saturday to close the weekend for the Orediggers, as with weather looming throughout the day, action will begin at 9:30 a.m. to close out the series.
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.
