GOLDEN, Colo. – The Colorado School of Mines softball team dropped both ends of doubleheader action to open week four of Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference action to MSU Denver Saturday by scores of 7-2 and 13-7. In the opener, the Orediggers (11-13, 7-7) kept it close early before a big inning late proved to be the difference, while in game two the Roadrunners (16-6, 11-3) homered three times including two grand slams to power their way to the sweep.
 
Natalie Romero and Taylor Wayne (5-4) matched each other with two scoreless innings to open the series in game one before each side managed a run in the third inning. The Roadrunners scored on a two-out single up the middle by Zoe Stanzyk that scored Cheyenne Prieto to take the lead. Mines came right back with a two-out run of their own as a ball up the middle off the bat of Katie Bauer was snared on a diving play up the middle by the MSUD shortstop, but the resulting effort left her with no play and allowed Kylie Bickford to wheel around from second to tie the game at 1-1.
 
MSU Denver took advantage of two Mines errors and scored twice in the fourth with a pair of two out runs, first as the Pearson sisters of Victoria and Mackenzie executed a double steal of home and second before the second error of the inning off the bat of Natalie Shellhorn allowed Victoria to score as the lead moved to 3-1. Wayne helped her own cause with a sacrifice fly to centerfield in the bottom of the inning to score Emiaj Self and make it 3-2. After a scoreless fifth, MSUD broke things open with four runs to take a five-run lead. Rylee Church helped stopped the bleeding as she induced a 4-6-3 double play to limit the damage before working a scoreless seventh, but the Oredigger offense went down in order in each of the final two frames to end the game 7-2.
 
Game two saw Mines score first against Kianna Butler in their first at bats of the game as Katie Bauer smashed a ball of the glove of Brooklyn Enny at third base as it continued on past for an RBI double that scored Lauren Romero for the opening salvo. MSU Denver answered back against Madyson Ortiz (2-3) in the second with a double steal of home by Mackenzie Pearson and Neila Lucero to draw even at 1-1.
 
Each side plated four runs in the third inning, with the Roadrunners getting a grand slam from Enny to jump in front 5-1 before Ortiz was able to regroup and get out of the inning by stranding two more on base to limit the damage. The Orediggers came right back as Kendall Aragon led off with a double before subsequently scoring on a single the other way by Bauer. Sidney Pendowski came on to run for Bauer at first and after a sac bunt, she scored on a double to left center by Emiaj Self. Self scored two pitched later on a Lindy French RBI single to make it 5-4 and chase Butler from the game. Two wild pitches by reliever Sam Mader allowed French to score and tie the game back up. The offense kept coming in the fourth, with single runs going on the board for both teams as a Victoria Pearson single scored Lexi Gephart while an Aragon sac fly scored Kellan Ton to keep pace at 6-6.
 
MSU Denver pulled away for good in the fifth, sending 10 batters to the plate and scoring seven runs by way of a pair of homers. Mackenzie Pearson's three-run homer and Enny's second grand slam of the day made it a 13-6 lead. Mines kept fighting but managed just a single run in the home fifth as a bases-loaded wild pitch saw pinch runner Sam Whisenand score before a fly ball from Ton looked deep enough to score pinch runner Kiyana Tsuei, but a strong relay home prevented the run as the score moved to 13-7. After giving up the grand slam, Ellen Shull worked a pair of scoreless innings in the sixth and seventh and keep it a six-run game. Mines loaded the bases in the home seventh hoping for a rally to tie the game, but a rally was not to be as a lineout to left ended the game with the Roadrunners claiming two wins on day one.
 
NOTABLES
-Bauer led the day at the plate, hitting safely in both games and going 3-7 on the afternoon with three RBI and a double in game two
-French got the start at first base in both games and reached base three times in game two while scoring and driving in a run
-Ryen Herman recorded her first career hit in Golden with a single through the left side in game two
-Self also hit safely and scored in both games, going 1-3 in each contest while driving in a run with her sixth double of the season
-Romero likewise went 1-3 in each game while reaching base twice and scoring in game two
-Aragon doubled and drove in the 98th run of her career in game two
 
ON DECK
Mines wraps up their series with MSU Denver Saturday 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.