COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The University of Colorado Colorado Springs softball team split the first two games of their four-game set against Colorado School of Mines on Saturday afternoon, dropping a tightly contested 2-1 decision in game one of the doubleheader before pounding out five home runs in game two for a 13-5 run-rule victory.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP
Final Game One: UCCS 1, CSM 2 | Final Game Two: UCCS 13, CSM 5 (5 innings)
Records: UCCS (10-23, 7-17 RMAC), CSM (14-19, 13-11 RMAC)
Location: Mountain Lion Field | Colorado Springs, Colo.
All-Time Series: The Mountain Lions move to 69-56-1 all-time against the Orediggers.
HOW IT HAPPENED | GAME ONE
- The opening game of the series against Colorado School of Mines saw the Orediggers reach the scoreboard first in the top of the initial frame after a two-out error at first base by UCCS extended the inning for Sophie Furniss to hit an RBI single up the middle and make it a 1-0 game.
- Despite allowing the unearned run in the first inning, UCCS starting pitcher Braelyne Crenshaw found her stride in the middle innings of the ballgame as she held Mines scoreless for the next three innings until an RBI single by Sidney Wilson in the top of the fifth inning stretched the Orediggers lead to 2-0.
- The UCCS offense also struggled to find any success against Mines' starting pitcher Sadriena Rodriguez as she held the Mountain Lions scoreless over their first five trips to the plate, but the shutout would end in the bottom of the sixth inning when Morgan Hernandez-Belew popped a leadoff home run over the center field fence to cut the deficit in half, 2-1.
- After Crenshaw tossed a scoreless top of the seventh to keep the deficit at one run, the Mountain Lions had one more chance to take a lead but managed just one baserunner in the bottom half of the inning as Mines secured a series-opening 2-1 victory.
STATS FROM THE GAME | GAME ONE
- Both teams managed to record six hits in the series-opener while Mines also recorded one walk and one hit by pitch.
- The Mountain Lions' hits came from six different student-athletes, with Solana Martinez (double) and Hernandez-Belew (home run) tallying the only extra-base hits for UCCS.
- Inside the circle, Crenshaw (2-10) was a tough-luck loser as she went the full seven innings and allowed just one earned run with five strikeouts.
- On the other side of the field, Rodriguez was excellent on the rubber for Mines, throwing seven innings of one-run ball with 13 strikeouts.
HOW IT HAPPENED | GAME TWO
- UCCS' game two starting pitcher Mackenzie Rutkoff found herself in deep trouble immediately out of the gates as the first three Mines batters in the first inning reached base to load the bases with nobody out. A two-RBI single from the next batter, Kayleigh Krueger, would give the Orediggers a 2-0 lead, but Rutkoff managed to strike out the next two hitters and get a pop-up on the infield to end the inning and limit the damage.
- The Mountain Lions wouldn't trail for long, however, as they quickly put together a rally in the bottom half of the frame with Hernandez-Belew and Martinez drawing walks before Courtnie Heller cleared the bases with a one-out, three-run home run that put UCCS ahead 3-2. The runs wouldn't stop there as the next batter to the plate, Lexi Wagner, deposited a pitch over the left field fence to make it a 4-2 game before an RBI single off the bat of Kelsey Bell pushed the lead to three runs, 5-2.
- After Rutkoff set the Orediggers down in order in the visitor half of the second inning, UCCS continued to pour on the runs as they put another five-spot on the board to take a 10-2 lead. Maddie Unrein led off the inning with a triple and came in to score on a fielding error at second base by Mines. On the next at-bat after the error, Wagner came to the plate and launched her second home run of the game to make it an 8-2 advantage. Two batters later, the long ball struck again, this time with Peyton Reisman taking the ball deep over the left field for a solo home run. Another run would cross the plate in the inning on an RBI triple from freshman Elizabeth Browning.
- UCCS struck for two more runs in the bottom of the third inning with Maddie Unrein leading off the frame with a solo home run to dead center field that pushed the lead to 11-2. After a walk to Heller, Wagner continued to swing her hot bat as she lined a double to right center field to add another run to tally, 12-2.
- Mines would manage to scratch across three unearned runs in the top of the fourth inning, but UCCS got one back in the bottom of the frame on an RBI single by Unrein and held the Orediggers scoreless in the top of the fifth inning to finish off a five-inning run-rule win.
STATS FROM THE GAME | GAME TWO
- UCCS outhit the Orediggers 13-3 in the second game of the doubleheader, although both teams managed to draw five walks and had one hit batter.
- Wagner had a strong game for the Mountain Lions, notching a 3-for-4 line with two home runs and four RBIs.
- Unrein was a perfect 3-for-3 out of the two-hole in the lineup as she came up just a double shy of the cycle with a single, triple, and home run to go along with two RBIs.
- Heller finished the game with a 1-for-2 line at the plate, hitting her fourth home run of the season and also adding four RBIs.
- Browning also put together a perfect 2-for-2 showing from the ninth spot in the lineup, including a triple and one RBI.
- Rutkoff (2-4) earned her second win of the season after pitching four innings and allowing five runs (two earned) on three hits and five walks. She also struck out five Orediggers.
- Lexi Rayburn got the final three outs of the game in the top of the fifth inning, striking out two of the three hitters she faced without allowing a baserunner.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- Browning's two hits in the second game of the doubleheader mark the first of her collegiate career.
- Wagner continues to be a strong run-producing presence in the middle of the order for the Mountain Lions as she now paces the squad with 30 RBIs on the season and sits tied for the team lead with nine home runs.
- Crenshaw has been locked in on the rubber during her last two outings, tallying 14.0 innings pitched with just two earned runs allowed across the two games started.
UP NEXT
- The Mountain Lions and Orediggers will conclude their four-game set tomorrow with a doubleheader beginning at 11 a.m. from Mountain Lion Field.
SOCIAL
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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.
