GOLDEN, Colo. – Seeking their second series win of the season Sunday, the Colorado School of Mines softball team returned to action in the final two games of their Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference series against local rival Regis. Unfortunately, the Orediggers (13-21, 9-15) had to settle for a split of the afternoon and the series as the handily took the opener 11-1 in five innings before the Rangers (8-22, 7-17) forced a draw on the weekend with an 8-5 win in the finale.
 
Mines showed up ready to play in game one, racing out to a 10-0 lead over the first two innings. Action started in the first with three runs going on the board as an RBI triple by Kendall Aragon scored Kellan Ton. Aragon crossed home on an RBI groundout by Emiaj Self before Grace Weiler lined a two-out single to right field that allowed Katie Bauer to score from second. A seven-run second blew things wide open as 11 Orediggers went to the plate in the inning. After a pair of one-out singles by Ton and Lauren Romero put runners on the corners to chase starter Caity Potts, the pair executed a double steal of home and second on the first pitch from Carmen O'Connoer with Romero ending up at third on an error. She scored moments later on an Aragon single and after a passed ball, Aragon scored on a base hit by Self to make it 6-0. Bauer followed with a run-scoring triple into the left field corner as the barrage continued. Following a walk to Miquela Tammaro, Weiler delivered again with a single up the middle to make it an eight-run game. Madyson Ortiz, the starting pitcher in the game, flexed into the lineup and worked a two-out walk after a groundout before Sam Whisenand re-entered to run at first base. With the lineup turned over and bases juiced, Ton lined a two-run single to left that made it a 10-0 lead.
 
Returning to the circle, Ortiz (3-5) continued to cruise as she closed out three no-hit innings with a 1-2-3 top of the third as she faced just two over the minimum in her abbreviated afternoon of work. Mines wasn't done scoring as they added a run in the third behind a pinch hit parade. Emily Rogers opened the frame with a ringing first pitch double down the line in left. After a strikeout, Rylee Church drew a five-pitch walk that was followed by a single back through the box by Tammaro that scored Rogers and made it 11-0. With more ducks on the pond, Regis reliever Sophia Garcia came on and managed to strikeout the next two to keep things to one run in the inning. Both side emptied their benches over the final two innings with numbers position changes, pinch hitters, pinch runners and substitutions. Ellen Shull worked the final two innings in the circle for Mines, allowing a run on a double to left center by Isabella Porter that served to make a dent in the deficit as she recorded the final six outs to close the book on the 11-1 win.
 
The finale started off much like the weekend started with the Rangers racing out to a 5-0 lead in the first inning against Taylor Wayne (5-7). Three straight walks to open the game followed by a single, sac fly, double and a single made it 4-0 before a fifth run scored from third on an error attempting to throw out a runner at second on a stolen base. The Mines offense again found it tough sledding against starter Eliza Legge, managing just one run in the first three innings as Kylie Bickford's leadoff double in the third saw her score on an infield single by Kellan Ton.
 
Regis responded with three runs in the top of the fourth as three singles to open the inning resulted in a run and spelled the end of the afternoon for Wayne. Rylee Church took over trying to get out of the inning with limited damage, but the Rangers had other plans as an RBI double by Porter and a sac fly by Kiauna Smith plated two more runs and made it 8-1. Mines answered in kind with four in the bottom of the inning to get back within three at 8-5. Kendall Aragon started the rally with a leadoff double and worked her way around to score on a one-out groundout by Miquela Tammaro. Grace Weiler restarted things with a two-out single and after Ryen Herman reached on an error, pinch hitter Kiyana Tsuei loaded the bases after being plunked by Legge. That chased Legge from the game and brought by Garcia for her second work of the day as Church flexed into the lineup to greet her. The freshman helped her own cause with an RBI the hard way after she wore a pitch off the arm to force home Weiler and turn the lineup over. Once again, Ton delivered in the form of another two-run single before a foul out ended the inning.
 
Trailing by just three in the late going, Mines looked to keep their momentum rolling with visions of a second come-from-behind win. Unfortunately those visions were dashed as while Church kept the Rangers off the board over the final three frames, so too were the Orediggers as the hard-throwing Vanessa Candito came on in the fifth and retired nine of the 10 batters she faced to close things out as Regis took the finale 8-5 to split the weekend.
 
NOTABLES
-Ton had one of the best single days at the plate in her career Sunday, going 5-7 with five RBI and stealing two bases
-Weiler's hot streak continued as she went 4-5 with two hits and a run scored in each game while driving in a pair in the opener; she's now hit safely in five of the last six games over the last two weekends and has gone 8-16 (.500) with a trio of multi-hit outings, two doubles and four RBI in that span
-Aragon went 3-7 on the day with a double and a triple, three runs scored and two RBI
-Bauer went 2-2 in the opener with two runs, an RBI and her 10th double of the season
-Tammaro drove in a run in both games and stole a base in game one
-Whisenand added to her left-handed hit total with a knock in each game Sunday and added a stolen base in the finale
-Ortiz picked up her third win of the season in three wins in the opener
-Church struck out five against four hits and a walk without allowing a run in her four innings of relief in the finale and also collected her first career RBI in the opener; on the weekend she lowered her ERA to 3.55 for the season with 11 innings of work in which she struck out eight and allowed three runs on 11 hits
-A total of 40 different players were used in Sunday's opener with each team using 20 players in the five innings of action
-Nine Orediggers recorded a hit in the opener Sunday
-Nina Sammoury and Morgan Stewart each made their collegiate debuts as pinch runners in the 11-1 win
-The Orediggers remain in seventh in the RMAC standings following the conclusion of play Sunday, five games behind UCCS for sixth
 
ON DECK
Mines caps off five consecutive weekends at home next weekend April 3-4 against Black Hills State.
 
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.