GOLDEN, Colo. – The Colorado School of Mines softball team scored early and scored late Sunday afternoon in their non-conference finale at Joe Coors, Jr. Softball Field, but couldn't capitalize on opportunities over the middle innings in a 6-4 loss to Regis. The Orediggers (4-6) bookended their day with two runs in the first and seventh innings, but it was six runs by the Rangers (1-5) in the middle of the action that turned out to be the difference.
 
Kat Miller stranded a runner to begin the ballgame in the first as the Orediggers jumped in front early in the home half. Kellan Ton led off with a walk before a wild pitch advanced her to second. Following a walk to Lauren Romero and a wild pitch, Kendall Aragon grounded out to the right side of the infield to score Ton for the first run of the day. Mines took advantage of some shaky command by Regis' Ava Edwards to load the bases two batters later and after a strikeout, Lindy French worked a walk to force a run home and make it 2-0.
 
Mia Lopez provided some defensive fireworks in the second inning, as Jane Quinn tried to stretch a leadoff single down the right field line and paid dearly for that misjudgment as one of the best defensive arms in the RMAC easily cut her down at second on the relay back to Emiaj Self. Miller worked around a leadoff single to hang a zero before Lauren Romero's two-out double set the table for Mines in the home half, but Edwards was able to induce a groundout to end the inning. RU got to Miller in the third as Olivia Darby led off with a double before coming home to score on a wild pitch. Olivia Wick kept the line moving with a single before scoring a long double to right center by Bella Bordine to level the score at 2-2. Miller bounced back with a scoreless fourth as again Mines threatened in the bottom of the inning and again came away empty-handed. Kylie Bickford led off with a single before Sam Whisenand came on to run at first. Whisenand stole second before being joined on base by Ton with a one-out single to chase Edwards. Ton took second easily with Regis playing to keep the runner at third with one out, but it made little difference to reliever Sophia Garcia as she worked a strikeout and a popup on the infield to escape danger.
 
The fifth and sixth innings saw Regis add four more runs to take the lead thanks to two runs in each inning. A pinch-hit RBI double by Isabella Porter followed by an RBI triple from Kristin Ingram made it 4-2 before Janelle Erickson delivered a pinch-hit two-run homer to centerfield to make it a four-run lead against Ariana Hughes (0-1). Taylor Wayne came on and kept Regis off the board in the seventh to give Mines a chance in the bottom half. Aragon led off with a bunt single before Emily Rogers missed a home run of her own to left with a double high of the wall to put two in scoring position. A walk by Self loaded the bases for Katie Bauer, who entered in the fourth as a defensive replacement. The fourth-year junior worked the count and lined a single off the glove of the shortstop toward the left field line to score two and make it a 6-4 game. With two still in scoring position with no outs in the inning, the Orediggers looked primed to tie or even walk off for the win, but Garcia buckled down and retired the next three in order to close things out for the Rangers.
 
NOTABLES
-Ton led the way at the plate as she reached base in all four of her plate appearances, going 3-3 with a walk while stealing a pair of bases and scoring a run; she now stands as 57 career stolen bases and needs one to tie Renata Boyd (2020-23) for the program record
-Self also reached in all four of her plate appearances, going 1-1 with three walks
-Bauer's double was her fourth extra base hit of the season and her two RBI raise her season tally to seven
-Romero and Rogers each went 1-3 with a double and a run scored
-Miller took a no decision in her start, working four innings and allowing two runs on six hits
-Hughes, who made her debut Saturday at MSU Denver but failed to record an out, worked two innings in her second career appearance
-Wayne capped off her weekend in the circle with a strikeout in a scoreless seventh inning of relief
-A lack of timely hitting haunted Mines, as they left 11 runners on base
 
ON DECK
Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference play starts next weekend February 21-22 at Joe Coors, Jr. Softball Field against UCCS.
 
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.