GOLDEN, Colo. – Back home Saturday for their first Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference series of the series, the Colorado School of Mines softball team split their first day of league action at Joe Coors, Jr. Softball Field with UCCS, dropping game one 8-0 before rallying for an 8-3 win in game two.
Miquela Tammaro and
Taylor Wayne led the charge in the winning effort for the Orediggers (5-7, 1-1) as they used a pair of big innings to pull away after being held in check at the dish by the Mountain Lions (7-4, 1-1) to start off the afternoon.
It was all UCCS in game one as the Mountain Lions scored single runs in the first and third innings before plating two in the fourth and blowing things open with four runs in the seventh to take the 8-0 win to begin the series. A double steal of second and home by Jaqueline Berkowitz and JV Goldsworth made it 1-0. After
Kat Miller (1-2) worked a 1-2-3 second, the Mountain Lions added another run on a wild pitch before an RBI single and advancement on a caught stealing made it 4-0 through four innings.
After leaving five on base over the first three innings, Mines went down in order in each of the next three innings as they looked for something to break through against UCCS ace Autumn Kunze.
Ellen Shull gave her offense a chance to get back into the action in relief of Miller, setting down the visitors in order in the fifth and sixth innings, but a four-run seventh by the Mountain Lions all but put things out of reach as they batted around in the inning on their way to the win.
UCCS picked up in game two right where they left off offensively against
Taylor Wayne (3-1), getting a pair of runners in scoring position with one out before the fifth-year senior buckled down and went strikeout-groundout to end the inning. Wayne was rewarded with a run in home first as
Kellan Ton walked, subsequently stole second to break the Mines career stolen base record and came around to score on a sacrifice fly by
Emily Rogers to take a 1-0 lead. After navigating around a leadoff double to hang a zero on the board, Wayne was part of a three-run outburst in the home second to help her own cause.
Miquela Tammaro led off with a walk before being joined on base by
Lindy French by way of an E6. Following a strikeout, Wayne loaded the bases with a single up the middle before
Kellan Ton's infield single plated a run to make it 2-0.
Lauren Romero kept the line moving with a two-run single through the left side of the infield as the lead swelled to 4-0.
After Janessa Giugliano induced a lineout double play to end the second, the Mountain Lions looked to get back in contention with a leadoff solo shot to left center by Goldsworth to make it 4-1. Wayne bounced back and retired the next six in order before again helping herself out as part of a four-run fourth inning. After leading off with a single to right center, Wayne was joined on base by Ton and following a sacrifice bunt, Wayne scored on a sac fly to center by
Kendall Aragon to make it 5-1. A pair of two-out walks by
Emily Rogers and
Emiaj Self set the table for Tammaro, who lined a bases-clearing triple to right center to blow the game open at 8-1.
After scoring one in the fifth, UCCS looked to rally in the seventh and got a run on a pinch-hit single by Steinmetz with two outs, but a strong throw in from center by Aragon to Self at second base cut down Steinmetz as she tried to stretch a single to no avail as the Orediggers took game two 8-3.
NOTABLES
-Wayne went the distance in game two for her third win of the season, striking out a pair and allowing just three runs on eight hits while also going 2-3 at the plate with two runs scored
-Tammaro reached base three times in game two, drawing a walk and a hit by pitch in addition to her first career triple that drove in three
-Ton recorded three hits on the day with two of them coming in game two and also stole two bases to pass Renata Boyd (2020-23) for the program's all-time stolen base record and become the first woman in program history with 60 stolen bases
-Romero went 1-2 with a pair of RBI in game two while stealing a base in the opener
-Rogers hit safely in each game, tripling in the opener before swiping a pair of bags in game two
-Mines drew seven walks in game two and earned a total of eight free passes when including Tammaro's HBP
-The Orediggers also tied their season high with five stolen bases in the game two win
ON DECK
Mines wraps up their series with UCCS 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.
