ALAMOSA, Colo. – The Colorado School of Mines softball team saw their winning streak end at seven games Sunday afternoon in heartbreaking fashion as they fell 10-9 in extra innings, but started anew in the finale as they claimed their series with Adams State 3-1 thanks to a 14-0 rout fueled by 22 hits. After the Grizzlies (10-36, 9-27) took game one 10-9 behind a walk-off home run in the bottom of the 11th inning, the Orediggers (23-23, 19-17) left little doubt to the outcome in the finale as they hung crooked numbers in the first and fifth innings and rapped out a season-high in hits on their way to the blowout win.
 
Adams State starting pitcher Aubree Davis did it all in the first inning to start the day, working a 1-2-3 top half before hitting a three-run home run in the bottom of the inning against Madyson Ortiz for the early lead. Mines stormed right back with three run in the second as a two-run bases loaded double by Emiaj Self scored Katie Bauer and Grace Weiler. A squeeze bunt to third base by Sam Whisenand scored Ortiz as Mines tied things up. ASU retook the lead in their half of the second when a one-out single down the left field line by Denae Ojeda scored Ali Davis after she reached on an error leading off the frame.
 
After letting scoring chances slip by in the third and fourth innings against Aubree Davis, including leading the bases loaded in the fourth, Mines broke through for the equalizer in the fifth when Ortiz singled up the middle to score runner Mia Lopez after Bauer started the rally with a one out single. Four runs crossed the next half inning as ASU retook the lead 8-4 with a pair of RBI triples, a bases-loaded walk and a fielder's choice as Taylor Wayne came in in relief of Ortiz to close the inning. Undeterred, Mines score two in the sixth before rallying for the lead in the seventh. An RBI triple by Aragon followed by a sac fly off the bat of Bauer made it 8-6 before Rylee Church came off the bench and delivered a pinch-hit one-out three-run homer to left field for a 9-8 lead. Church (5-5) took over in the circle after a leadoff hit by pitch by Wayne, but had that runner erased as Bauer threw out Mackenzie Simon stealing second. Unfortunately the next three Grizzlies reached base to load things up with one out as a sac fly by Caylie Eiguren plated Jayde Garcia to tie the game, but a baserunning blunder ended the rally as Bauer threw out Ojeda at third after she over-slid the bag.
 
Church and Aryana Munoz dueled it out in the extra frames, trading 1-2-3 innings in the eight and ninth as Aragon's second triple of the day and fourth of the series resulted in the lone baserunner in the top of the 10th. In the 11th Munoz fanned Mines in order again before Aubree Davis ended things in the bottom of the inning, leaving the yard on the first pitch from Church for a walk-off solo home run to win the marathon opener 10-9.
 
Looking to get the bad taste of the walk-off loss out of their mouths, Mines hung up six in the first inning against Jaklynn Harteker and led by nine after three innings. 12 batters went to the dish in the opening half-inning as Kellan Ton's leadoff walk scored on a out-out triple to left by Kendall Aragon. After Katie Bauer reached on a fielder's choice and stole second, she and Aragon scored off the bat of Grace Weiler. Madyson Ortiz's single put runners at the corners as Emiaj Self followed with a ringing single to right field to score Weiler and make it 4-0. After a strikeout, Sam Whisenand reached on an infield single to third to load things up for the top of the order. Ton stepped back in and singled to shortstop for a run before Lauren Romero coaxed a six-pitch walk to force home self and make it 6-0. The Orediggers added a run in the second when Bauer trotted home on a 4-3 double play, and two more in the third when Aragon tripled to left field again to score Kiyana Tsuei before Ryen Herman's 3-2 punch down the right field line resulted in another run to make it a 9-0 lead.
 
After being held off the board by Celie Page in the fourth, Mines erupted for five more in their half of the fifth behind a litany of substitutions. Tsuei led off with a single before stealing second and scoring on a double by Aragon. Herman kept the line moving with a single before Rylee Church delivered a run-scoring pinch hit single with runners on the corners. Miquela Tammaro drove in the 10th run of her debut season next with a ball back up the middle to bring Herman around and make it 12-0. After a flyout, Kate Whipple came off the bench with an RBI single to score runner Nina Sammoury before a two-out knock from Ton at the top of the order scored runner Morgan Stewart to make it a 14-run lead.
 
Ellen Shull (3-2) was on cruise control to start the afternoon and only once found herself in trouble on the way to her second win in the last two weekends. She retired the Grizzlies in order in the first two innings before pitching out of one-out bases-loaded jam in the third. She also worked around a single hit in the fourth before leaving two on base in the fifth to end the action early as the Orediggers claimed the series with the 14-0 win.
 
NOTABLES
-Shull tossed a five-inning shutout in the finale in her first appearance of the weekend and recorded a strikeout while scattering five hits
-Ton ended the weekend strong, for 6-9 Sunday with a pair of three-hit performances as she tripled, scored a run and stole a base in game one before driving in a pair, scoring once, walking and stealing another base in the finale
-Self turned in a three-hit day Sunday with three RBI, two runs scored, a double, two walks and a stolen base
-Aragon posted another monster weekend at the plate, going 5-10 Sunday with four triples (two in each game), four RBI and four runs scored as she accounted for six runs in the finale; on the weekend, the senior posted a line of .556/.556/1.278 with a double, six triples, nine RBI and seven runs scored while fielding 1.000 in nine attempts in the outfield
-Ortiz took a no-decision in her game one start, pitching four innings and allowed six runs (five earned) on seven hits while striking out three; at the dish she reached base three times in the opener, going 1-1 with an RBI, run scored and two walks before following that up by going 2-3 with a run scored in the finale to close out her first weekend batting full-time
-Church was the hard-luck loser in game one in the circle, as she pitched four-plus innings in relief and allowed just two runs on one hit while striking out five; she also hit her first career home run to briefly take the lead in the day's opener and followed up by delivering a pinch-hit RBI single in the big fifth inning in game two
-Whipple made her collegiate debut in right field in the day's first action and collected both her first hit and RBI of the season off the bench in game two
-Tsuei went 2-3 with a pair of runs scored in the finale
-Herman recorded her first career multi-hit game in game two by going 2-2 off the bench with an RBI and a run scored
-Whisenand with 2-3 in the finale with a double for her first left-handed extra-base hit
-Sammoury and Stewart both scored their first career runs in pinch running duties in the finale
-13 different players recorded a hit in the finale with seven registering two or more while nine different Orediggers drove in a run and 10 scored a run
-On the weekend, Mines batted .450 at the plate with six doubles, 10 triples, a home run, went 10-11 on stolen bases and outscored ASU 49-12 while the pitching staff held ASU to .224 (22-98) at the dish with 20 strikeouts in 27 innings with a 2.85 ERA
-Following the conclusion of play Sunday, Mines now finds themselves tied for sixth in the standings with Black Hills State with a record of 19-17 in conference play, one game behind Colorado Mesa for fifth and five games up on New Mexico Highlands in eighth
 
ON DECK
The Orediggers play their final home series of the season next weekend April 25-26 at Joe Coors, Jr. Softball Field against CSU Pueblo. Senior Day will be held over the course of the weekend to celebrate the four members this year's class.
 
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.