DURANGO, Colo. – The Colorado School of Mines softball team swept both ends of their doubleheader Saturday at Aspen Field against Fort Lewis, starting the series off right with wins by scores of 4-2 and 5-4 in eight innings. The Orediggers (8-8, 4-2) found the win column two different ways against the Skyhawks (1-15, 0-6), as they scored first and never looked back in the series opener before rallying for five runs over the final four innings in game two to come from behind to complete the sweep.
 
Mines opened the series with three runs in the first inning to take a lead they held never relinquished. Kellan Ton and Lauren Romero reached to begin the game before moving into scoring position on a sacrifice bunt by Kendall Aragon. Emily Rogers followed with a double the other way to right center to bring in both runs before coming around to score herself on an error with two outs.
 
Taylor Wayne (4-1) started her day with a pair of scoreless innings before ceding a run on a one-out error to third base that allowed Fort Lewis to make it a 3-1 game. After a scoreless fourth, the Orediggers got that run back in the fifth thanks to a two-out RBI single by Katie Bauer to score Aragon and make it a three-run game once more. Things got tense for a moment in the home sixth as the Skyhawks loaded the bases against Wayne with no outs as game momentarily hung in the balance. Fortunately for the Orediggers, the defense picked up their pitcher, trading a run for two outs with a 4-3 double play before a flyout to center ended the inning with the lead intact at 4-2.

After the drama in the bottom of the sixth, Mines went to the bullpen for the seventh and brought on freshman Madyson Ortiz looking to preserve the two-run lead. Ortiz wasted little time wrapping things, setting down the Skyhawks in order as she ended the game with a strikeout to collect her first career save to open the series.
 
The second action of the day saw Fort Lewis score in each of the first three innings as they jumped out to the lead. A leadoff double by Alex Tenorio was cashed in with an RBI single by Izzy Cueva in the first before Alejandra Medina led off the second with a solo home run to straightaway center. Back-to-back hits leading off the home third spelled the end of the day for Ellen Shull as she ceded the circle to Rylee Church (1-1). Church retired the first three batters she faced to end the inning, but not before an RBI groundout drove in another Skyhawk run to make it 3-0.
 
Church spun the first scoreless inning of the day by Mines pitching by leaving a runner in the fourth as she navigated around a one-out single to record back-to-back strikeouts to keep it a three-run game and give her offense a chance to get going. After lone singles in the third and fourth innings, the Oredigger bats got going in the fifth. One-out knocks by Brooke Gonzales and Herman put runners at the corners and turned over the lineup. Kellan Ton drove in Gonzales with an infield single before Lauren Romero reached on an E5 to load the bases. Kendall Aragon made it 3-2 with a sac fly to deep center to score pinch runner Mia Lopez and put runners on the corners once more, but a strikeout by FLC's Hallie Mann ended the inning.
 
Momentum stayed on Mines' side to end the fifth as after consecutive singles to open the frame, Church navigated out of danger by working three outs to the next three batters to strand two one base and keep it a 3-2 game. After a scoreless sixth, Mines had one last chance to draw even in the seventh. A one-out triple to left center by Ton was cashed in three pitches later as Romero smashed a single through the right side of the infield to tie things up before a fielder's choice and a strikeout ended the inning.
 
Church continued to cruise in the circle, working a 1-2-3 inning in the bottom of the seventh to send the action to extra innings. Katie Bauer led off the eighth with a line single to right field before being lifted for pinch runner Kate Whipple. An E4 off the bat of Emiaj Self put two runners on with no outs for Lindy French, who singled through the left side to score Whipple and give Mines their first lead of the day. After a strikeout, Herman continued her fine day at the plate as she lined a sac fly the other way to right field to score Self and make it a two-run game at 5-3. Heading to the home half, Church needed just two pitches for the first out before making her first mistake of the day as Medina homered for the second time in the game to make it 5-4. After an eight-pitch walk put the tying run on base, the freshman needed just four pitches to close the book on her first career win, going strikeout-groundout to end things as the Orediggers capped off the comeback performance.
 
NOTABLES
-Wayne picked up her fifth win of the season thanks to six innings of work as she allowed just one earned run on eight hits
-Ortiz recorded her first career save in the opener, needing just nine pitches to do so and recording a strikeout along the way
-Church earned her first career win with one of the best performances in the circle by a Mines pitcher all season, spinning six innings of four-hit relief with four strikeouts against just one walk and allowing just one run on the eighth-inning home run while facing five over the minimum
-Rogers had a two-run double and scored in game one
-Bauer went 4-7 on the afternoon, going 2-3 with a double and an RBI in the opener before going 2-4 and reaching base to lead to a run in game two
-Herman broke into the hit column for the first time in her collegiate career in game two, going 2-3 with an RBI and reaching base to lead to a run
-Ton hit safely in each game and reached base five times Saturday highlighted by a 3-5 performance in game two in which she scored, stole a base and drove in a run
-Gonzales reached base in each game, working a walk in game one before posting a single and scoring in game two
 
 
ON DECK
Mines wraps up their weekend in Durango with two more games Sunday 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.