COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The University of Colorado Colorado Springs softball team split their twin bill with Colorado School of Mines on Saturday as the Orediggers benefited from a walk-off grand slam to win the first game, 7-4, before the Mountain Lions broke out offensively to earn a 14-6 run-rule victory in the second game of the day. Despite playing on their home turf, UCCS was designated as the visiting team due to the series being rescheduled from its original location in Golden, Colo.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP
Final: Game 1: UCCS 4, CSM 7 | Game 2: UCCS 14, CSM 6
Records: UCCS (11-9, 9-5 RMAC), CSM (6-14, 6-6 RMAC)
Location: Mountain Lion Field | Colorado Springs, Colo.
All-Time Series: The Mountain Lions move to 67-54-1 all-time against the Orediggers.
HOW IT HAPPENED | GAME ONE
- Following a leadoff single from Paige White to begin the top of the second inning, redshirt junior Peyton Reisman slammed her fourth home run of the season with a deep shot over the center field fence to give UCCS a 2-0 lead.
- The Mountain Lions would continue to add to their lead in the third inning, as an RBI single by Reisman and a bases-loaded walk from Bryn Horton pushed the UCCS advantage to 4-0.
- UCCS starting pitcher Braelyne Crenshaw cruised through the Oredigger's lineup for much of the game, allowing just two runs (one earned) over her first six innings pitched, but the redshirt junior would run into trouble in her seventh frame inside the circle.
- After retiring two of the first three batters in the bottom of the seventh inning, a hit batter and two walks by Crenshaw would bring in a run for the Orediggers and spell the end of the day for the 6-foot pitcher.
- Nursing a 4-3 lead with the bases loaded and two outs, the Mountain Lions turned to freshman Mackenzie Rutkoff to face CSM sophomore Sara Larson. After fouling off the first pitch from Rutkoff, Larson drove a deep fly over the center field wall for a walk off grand slam to give the Orediggers a 7-4 win in game one.
STATS FROM GAME ONE
- The Mountain Lions tallied a total of eight hits and five walks in game one of the doubleheader but left ten runners stranded on-base throughout the course of the game.
- Solana Martinez led UCCS with three hits and a walk as she reached base in each of her four plate appearances. Reisman and Horton recorded a pair of hits each, while White was the only other Mountain Lion to join the hit category.
- Crenshaw took the loss to move to 3-6 on the season as she tossed 6.2 innings while allowing six runs (five earned) on seven hits and fanning four Orediggers.
HOW IT HAPPENED | GAME TWO
- The Mountain Lions did well to turn the page after dropping game one in walk off fashion as they jumped all over CSM starting pitcher Lauren Decker for six runs in the top of the first inning. UCCS got the scoring started with home runs from Martinez and Sawyer Brewster and tallied a total of seven hits in the opening frame to take an early 6-0 lead.
- After junior Lexi Rayburn set the Orediggers down in order in the bottom half of the first, the Mountain Lion bats picked up right where they left off as sophomore Mia Perez led off the second inning with a solo home run to center field to extend the UCCS advantage to 7-0.
- The Mountain Lions would go on to score six more times in the second inning, finishing the frame with seven total runs on seven hits and a 13-0 lead.
- Mines would crack the scoreboard in the bottom half of the inning with three hits and a pair of walks leading to three Oredigger runs and cutting the UCCS advantage to 13-3 with two innings in the books.
- A run-scoring sacrifice fly in the third inning would get the Orediggers one run closer at 13-4, but UCCS would counter in their half of the fourth inning as sophomore Maddie Unrein came around to score on a single to right field by freshman Briana Mattos.
- Mines would continue to chip away at their large deficit in the fourth inning with a two-run home run from Trystin Oshiro-Sano, but both teams would go scoreless in the fifth inning and the Mountain Lions walked away with a five-inning run rule victory by a score of 14-6.
STATS FROM GAME TWO
- UCCS pounded out a season-high 18 hits in game two of the doubleheader and each of the nine starting position players recorded at least one hit.
- Martinez continued her hot day at the plate as she went 3-for-4 with three RBIs and a pair of extra-base hits, including her first home run of the 2022 season.
- Mattos joined Martinez in the three-hit club, going 3-for-3 at the plate with two RBIs. The freshman also narrowly missed her second home run of the season on a first inning line drive that bounced off the top of the left field wall and back into play for a double.
- Brewster, White, Unrein and Horton each recorded multi-hit games as well with two hits apiece.
- Rayburn picks up her fifth win of the season despite allowing six earned runs across five innings pitched. The junior pitcher allowed eight hits and walked three batters while punching out five hitters on the day.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- Martinez's pair of three-hit games on the day were the fifth and sixth times this season that she has recorded at least three hits in a game.
- The Mountain Lion's 18 hits and 14 runs scored in game two of today's twin bill each marked season-bests for the team.
UP NEXT
- The Mountain Lions and Orediggers will complete their four-game series with another doubleheader slated to begin at 11 a.m. tomorrow morning at Mountain Lion Field.
SOCIAL
Twitter – @GoMountainLions
Instagram – @gomountainlions
Facebook – GoMountainLions
As a member of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, the University of Colorado Colorado Springs competes in 16 varsity sports in NCAA Division II intercollegiate athletics.
