DENVER, Colo. – The Colorado School of Mines softball team dropped a non-conference doubleheader to MSU Denver Saturday by scores of 6-5 and 7-1 at The Assembly Athletic Complex. The Orediggers (4-5) managed to get the tying run into scoring position in the opener before coming up short in their comeback bid while the Roadrunners (4-4) used a big first inning in game two to coast to the win.
 
Mines threatened to lead off the ballgame as Kellan Ton got all the way to third after a leadoff single, but it was MSU Denver who scored first with a two-out two-run single by Neila Lucero. Rylee Church (0-1) bounced back with a 1-2-3 second inning and was rewarded with a run in the third as Lauren Romero doubled to left center to score Ton all the way from first after she reached on a two-out single to left. MSUD came back with three more runs in the home third as Cheyenne Prieto, Lucero and Natalie Shellhorn all came through with RBI singles in the inning to make it 5-1 Roadrunners.
 
The Orediggers got a run back in the fourth as Emily Rogers singled, stole second and came in to score on an RBI single down the left field line by Emiaj Self. Ariana Hughes came on to work the home fourth, but her debut was short-lived as she loaded the bases against the first three hitters she saw as the game threatened to spiral out of control. Veteran Taylor Wayne took over in the circle and immediately induced a 1-2-3 double play as Mines looked to get out of the inning unscathed. Unfortunately an infield single to shortstop by Prieto saw another run cross but not the second, as Victoria Pearson was cut down at the plate on the throw home to Katie Bauer from Brooke Gonzales to end the inning as MSUD led 6-2.
 
Mines rallied for three runs of their own in the top of the fifth to draw back within one. Mia Lopez led off with a ringing double to left before being joined on base by Ton as MSU Denver starter Samantha Mader exited the game. Romero greeted Kianna Butler to the game with a ball back to the circle that resulted in a throwing error to load the bases. Kendall Aragon's sac fly scored Lopez from third as Ton tagged and moved up 60 feet from second. A double-steal of home and second by Romero and Ton resulted in another run before Romero scored on a two-out double to left by Self to make it 6-5.
 
Wayne worked around a double in the fifth and a walk in the sixth to keep MSUD off the scoreboard and give the Orediggers a chance heading to the seventh. Aragon reached with a one-out single up the middle before Rogers reached on another error by the reliever Butler. With runners at first and second, Self stood in and flew out to right, allowing Aragon to advance to third on the tag but the trail runner Rogers was thrown out at second 9-5-6 to end the opener.
 
Mines struck first in game two as Kellan Ton walked, stole second and came around to score on a sacrifice fly to center by Emiaj Self before a groundout to second stranded two. Ellen Shull's (1-2) day in the circle started with a leadoff groundout before things escalated quickly. A double and a walk preceded an RBI single by Prieto to tie the game at 1-1 before the Roadrunners strung together a two-out rally that resulted in six runs to take a 7-1 lead by the time the dust settled.
 
Lindy French and Kylie Bickford each singled in the second as the Orediggers looked to answer, but nothing came of it as the inning ended with two more left on base. Madyson Ortiz took over in the circle in the second and provided a quick inning as she stranded a leadoff single to hang a zero on the board.
 
Following the combined eight-run first, not much else happened at the plate as Natalie Romero and Ortiz matched each other pitch for pitch in the circle. The freshman for the Orediggers retired MSUD in order in the third and fourth innings and sat down 10 in a row at one point before navigating around a one-out error in the fifth with ease. She again hung a zero in the sixth as Mines turned to their bench to rally in the seventh. Kiyana Tsuei led off with a walk to get things going, but that was all that resulted in the inning as Brookyln Levin retied the next three in order to close out game two.
 
NOTABLES
-Ton went 2-3 with a walk and two runs scored in game one before drawing a walk, stealing a base and scoring the only Mines run in game two
-Self with 2-4 with two RBI and a double in the opener
-Romero doubled, drove in a run, stole a base and scored in game one
-Aragon went 1-3 with and RBI in game one
-Rogers went 1-4 with a stolen base and a run scored in the opener as well
-Lopez doubled and scored in game one
-Church made her first career start and struck out three in three innings of work in game one
-Wayne spun three innings of two-hit scoreless relief in the opener
-Ortiz worked five scoreless innings of relief in game two and faced three over the minimum, allowing just two hits and striking out three in the first extended action of her career
 
ON DECK
Mines wraps up the non-conference portion of their schedule Sunday with a single game against Regis at 12 p.m. at Joe Coors, Jr. Softball Field.
 
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.