GOLDEN, Colo. – Facing one of the hottest teams in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference over the last three weeks, the Colorado School of Mines softball team opened their fifth of five consecutive weeks at Joe Coors, Jr. Softball Field with a pair of wins over Black Hills State by scores of 5-2 and 9-4. On one of the windiest days of the season, the Orediggers (15-21, 11-15) picked up a pair of crucial wins to open the series, stifling the Yellow Jackets (19-18, 16-10) all afternoon long behind strong performances on both sides of the ball on one of the best single-day performances of the year.
 
Mines jumped out to a 2-0 lead after three innings to get the action started. Kellan Ton's leadoff triple in the bottom of the first inning was cashed in two batters later on an RBI single up the middle by Kendall Aragon for the opening run of the day. Ton and Aragon teamed up once again in the third inning to double the lead, as a two-out steal-and-stop play with runners on the corners saw Ton scamper home after Aragon stayed in the run down between first and second long enough to allow the run to score.
 
Freshman Rylee Church (3-3) got the ball in the opener and continued her strong performance this season, working five scoreless innings to begin her afternoon in the circle and allowing just two baserunners against one of the best offenses in the conference. Black Hills State did break through in the sixth as they scored twice to tie the game. Jessica Melendez's one-out RBI single up the middle scored pinch runner Anna Gietzen before a bases loaded hit by pitch to Delany Milanowski forced home Audrey Fouras to make it a 2-2 game. Church regrouped and induced a force out at second base to end the inning before things got out of hand.
 
The Orediggers answered right back in the home half of the inning, scoring three times to regain the lead. Ton led things off with a single to left before a wind-aided double the other way by Lauren Romero put runners on second and third for Aragon. A ball in play off the bat of the senior from Thornton saw BHSU try to nail Ton at the plate, but the junior speedster was too fast as she slid in safely to retake the lead 3-2. After Emily Rogers loaded the bases with a bunt single back to the circle, Katie Bauer smashed a hard single back up the middle to score a pair and make it a three-run game. Head back out for the seventh rejuvenated, Church made quick work of the Yellow Jackets, striking out a pair before Rogers made a spectacular catch on the move in right center to end the game and secure the win.
 
The offense that was at a premium in the opener was in abundance to start game two, as a combined eight runs went on the board in the first two innings. The Orediggers struck first, scoring three in the first against one of the hottest pitchers in the RMAC in recent weeks in Sophia Honse. Lauren Romero's RBI triple to left center scored Kellan Ton from first after a leadoff single, and after a bunt single by Kendall Aragon, Romero trotted home on an RBI groundout by Katie Bauer. Grace Weiler kept things going as she turned one around back up the middle to score Aragon and make it 3-0. BHSU responded with three of their own in the top of the second against Taylor Wayne as the first four batters of the inning reached base with Lily Simmons' RBI single to left starting the scoring. A one-out single by Alyssa Wong scored Anna Gietzen and after a catcher's interference call on a potential inning-ending force out at second loaded the bases, Desi Hernandez worked a bases-loaded walk to force home a run and tie things at 3-3 before a flyout to Ton in left field ended the inning.
 
Mines came right back with two in the home second to regain the lead. With runners on second and third and one out, Aragon singled back through the box to score Ton and Romero and make it a 5-3 game. After a walk to Bauer ended the day for Honse, Paige Goodell took over and worked out of a jam as despite a single to Grace Weiler that loaded the bases, a force at second ended the inning and kept it a two-run game. The Orediggers went to the bullpen in the third, sending freshman Madyson Ortiz (4-5) to the circle with the lead. Ortiz opened her weekend by stranding a runner in the inning before giving up her only run of the afternoon on a two-out single to right field in the fourth that saw the Yellow Jackets close back within a run at 5-4.
 
Two runs in both the fifth and sixth innings saw Mines pad their lead and pull away for the win. Lindy French led off the home fifth with a single before being lifted for runner Kiyana Tsuei. After a sac bunt, Sam Whisenand legged out an infield single on a bunt to put runners on the corners. After Whisenand stole second, a wild pitch allowed Tsuei to score and move Whisenand 60 feet to third base. After Ton worked a walk, Mines put on another designed play with runners on the corners as BHSU bobbled cutting off the throw to second as Ton retreated safely to first while Whisenand raced home to make it 7-4. In the sixth, Bauer led off with a walk before Sydney Pendowski took over pinch running at first base. A walk by Weiler followed by a sac bunt put runners on the corners for French, who smashed a liner to third that was knocked down by Carly Reyes Mims. Reyes Mims tried to recover and get the out at home, but Pendowski's speed beat the throw to make it 8-4. A two-out pinch-hit single by Emily Rogers scored Weiler to make it a five-run game and close the scoring. Heading back out in the seventh, Ortiz needed just seven pitches for the final three outs as Mines took game two of the doubleheader 9-4.
 
NOTABLES
-Ton extended her hitting streak to six games as she went 4-6 with a triple, two walks, five runs scored and a stolen base Friday including 3-3 with three runs in the series opener
-Whisenand went 2-3 with a run, a walk and two stolen bases and has hit safely in four of the last five games
-Weiler's hot streak continued as she went 3-5 on the day with a double and an RBI while reaching base five times and extending her hitting streak to five games
-Aragon went 4-7 and drove in four while scoring twice and stealing two bags and running her hitting streak to five games as well
-Romero went 3-7 with a double, her first triple of the season, an RBI and three runs scored along with a swipe of second
-Bauer added to her team-leading RBI total with three on the afternoon and now has 24 on the season
-Church's third start of the season saw her go the distance and strike out five and allow just two runs on three hits on the way to her third win of 2026
-Ortiz spun five innings of relief in game two, allowing a run on four hits with a strikeout to earn her fourth win of the season
 
ON DECK
The Orediggers and Yellow Jackets will close their series Saturday 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.