GOLDEN, Colo. – The Colorado School of Mines softball team gave the 13th-ranked team in the nation all they could muster Saturday at Joe Coors, Jr. Softball Field Saturday to open their four-game series against Colorado Christian. The Orediggers (11-17, 7-11) were powered at the plate by Sydney Pendowski, Kylie Bickford and Emiaj Self with the trio combining for four extra-base hits and seven runs batted in, but it wasn't enough as the Cougars (28-2, 18-0) managed to remain perfect in league action with a pair of 4-1 and 9-8 results.
 
A briskly-paced series opener saw Madyson Ortiz (2-5) and Felesha LaPenske match each other with two scoreless innings to start the action before CCU went back-to-back-to-back with three consecutive solo home runs with two outs in the third behind Kat Hanson, Elyse McMullin and Arriana Wright to take the lead. Mines best chance to answer came in the fifth as Pendowski and Kylie Bickford both singled with one out to turn the lineup over, but a fielder's choice and a flyout by LaPenske dashed any hopes of a rally.
 
The Cougars added a run in the sixth as Kat Miller came on in relief of Ortiz and induced a 6-3 double play as a run scored to make it 4-0. Down to their final three outs in the seventh, the Orediggers got on the board thanks to back-to-back one-out doubles by the duo of Pendowski and Bickford to make it 4-1. With the tying run in the on deck circle and momentum starting to lean in their favor, Mines looked to the top of the order to keep things moving. Instead, two groundouts were to results to the next two batters as CCU took the opener in a game that took just 83 minutes to complete.
 
Colorado Christian scored first again in game two, racing out to a 5-0 lead after two innings as a solo homer and a two-run single by Hanson and RBI singles by McMullin and Wright chased Taylor Wayne from the game early. Rylee Church (1-3) came on in relief and escaped the inning before things escalated further before the Mines offense erupted for five runs in the third. Kellan Ton got the action started with a one-out triple to left center before scoring on a bunt single from Lauren Romero on a bang-bang play at first base. Emiaj Self stepped in next and worked back from being down 0-2 to a full count before driving the seventh pitch of the at bat over the fence in left center for a two-run home run to make it 5-3. Grace Weiler and Kendall Aragon kept the line moving with back-to-back singles and after a groundout to third by Kylie Bickford moved both runners up,  Sydney Pendowski delivered a two-run triple to left center to knot things at 5-5 and chase Lisa Liddell from the game.
 
With things back level, Church and Hanna Espinoza dueled it out in a bullpen game, each working scoreless innings in the fourth and fifth as the teams battled for the advantage. CCU cashed in first as they scored three runs to retake the lead in the sixth on a two-out three-run home run by Leah Garcia to make it 8-5. Undeterred, the Orediggers rallied in the seventh as a one-out single by Weiler got things started. After Sam Whisenand came on to run at first, Aragon and Bickford went back-to-back again with singles as Whisenand scored to make it 8-6. With the tying run on first, Emily Rogers checked in to run for Bickford as Pendowski stepped back to the plate and delivered her second triple of the game, driving in two more runs to tie things back up at 8-8. With the Cougars on their heels, pinch hitter Miquela Tammaro stepped in and smashed a hard ground ball to shortstop, but a strong defensive play by Peyton Marvel saw her able to cut down Pendowski at the plate to keep things tied before a groundout ended the inning.  Heading to the home seventh, CCU needed just one pitch as Marvel hit a walk-off solo home run to left field to win the game 9-8.
 
NOTABLES
-Pendowski, making the first two starts of her career Saturday, went 4-7 with a double, two triples, four RBI and a run scored
-Self's game two homer was the first of her career as she hit safely in each game
-Ton went 4-8 on the afternoon with a pair of two-hit games with a triple in each leg of the doubleheader
-Aragon turned in a four-hit afternoon in including a 3-4 performance in game two with a pair of runs scored
-Bickford went 4-6 with a pair of two-hit outings with an RBI in each game
-The freshman duo of Ortiz and Church combined for seven strikeouts in 9.1 innings of work against the top offense in the RMAC
-The 24 combined hits by the Mines offense Saturday is the highest single-day total against Colorado Christian pitching this season
 
ON DECK
The Orediggers and Cougars will conclude the series with another doubleheader at 11 a.m. Sunday in Golden.
 
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.