GOLDEN, Colo. – The University of Colorado Colorado Springs softball team dropped a pair of tight contests to open their series at Colorado School of Mines on Saturday with the Orediggers earning 5-4 victories in their last at-bats of both games.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP
Final: Game 1: UCCS 4, CSM 5 | Game 2: UCCS 4, CSM 5
Records: UCCS (15-28, 12-22 RMAC), CSM (22-18, 18-14 RMAC)
Location: Joe Coors, Jr. Softball Field | Golden, Colo.
All-Time Series: The Mountain Lions move to 70-61-1 all-time against the Orediggers.
HOW IT HAPPENED | GAME ONE
- The Mountain Lions staked game one starting pitcher Autumn Kunze to a 1-0 advantage before she stepped inside the circle as reigning RMAC Player of the Week Gianna Pancost laced an RBI single down the left field line that brought home Jacquline Berkowitz for the first run of the ballgame.
- After pitching three scoreless innings to open her outing, Kunze ran into trouble for the first time in the bottom of the fourth inning as Sidney hit a one-out single to center field that got past UCCS center fielder Alyssa Gutierrez, allowing Wilson to advance all the way to third base. The next batter, Sara Larson, dropped down a bunt that brought Wilson across the plate to score, evening the game at one run apiece.
- Mines struck again in the bottom of the fifth inning as Emily Rogers opened the frame with a single to the right center field gap before advancing to third on an error in right field by UCCS. Kunze would retire the next batter on an infield pop-up for the first out of the inning, but a sacrifice fly to shallow left field on the next Mines' plate appearance wound up bringing home the run and giving the Orediggers a 2-1 lead. Mines kept the bats rolling with two outs in the frame as they received an RBI double from Wilson and an RBI single from Larson, extending their advantage to 4-1.
- Following a scoreless frame from relief pitcher Kailey Bond in the bottom of the sixth inning, UCCS came to the plate in the top of the seventh still needing three runs to keep the ballgame going. Jacquelyn Siefken got the inning off to a great start as she grounded a leadoff single up the middle, and after a strikeout from Lexi Wagner, Katelyn Kilgore and Gutierrez both reached to load the bases with just one out. Following a fly ball out from Berkowitz that registered as the second out of the inning, Pancost stepped to the plate and ripped a bases-clearing triple to the right-center field gap that brought the game even at four runs.
- In the bottom of the seventh frame, Mines immediately started a rally as they began their chase for the game-winning run as Hannah Roberts led off the inning with a single up the middle before Ton was hit by a pitch to put a pair of runners on with nobody out. The next batter, Kendall Aragon, put down a bunt that wound up being thrown into right field by Bond, which allowed Roberts to come around from second to score the walk-off run in a 5-4 win for Mines.
STATS FROM THE GAME | GAME ONE
- The Mountain Lions recorded seven hits in the series-opener while drawing two walks and striking out ten times.
- Pancost continued her hot swinging as she went 2-for-3 with a triple, a walk, and four RBIs.
- Kilgore and Siefken were productive for the Mountain Lions from the bottom third of the lineup as Siefken went 1-for-2 with a hit-by pitch out of the seven-hole and Kilgore went 1-for-2 with a walk in the ninth position of the lineup.
- Case picked up her eighth stolen base of the season in the sixth inning and is now 8-for-10 on stolen base attempts this year.
- Inside the circle, Kunze tossed five innings and allowed four runs (two earned) while striking out seven hitters. Bond (6-8) finished the ballgame on the rubber and was saddled with the loss despite surrendering just an unearned run across one inning of work.
HOW IT HAPPENED | GAME TWO
- The second game of the day started with Colorado School of Mines jumping out to an early 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning with RBI singles by Aragon and Wilson along with a sacrifice fly from Kayleigh Kruger.
- After a scoreless second inning from both sides, Kruger drove in another run with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the third to give Mines a 4-0 lead. The Mountain Lions would get that run back in the top of the fourth inning, however, as Jennavieve Goldsworth grounded an RBI single through the right side to cut the UCCS deficit back to 4-1.
- The Mountain Lions continued to chip away at their deficit in the top of the fifth inning as a leadoff triple by Hailey Busshart and a walk by Kilgore put runners on the corners for UCCS with nobody out in the frame. UCCS would see both runs come across to score in the inning without getting a hit the rest of the way as Busshart scored on a passed ball and pinch-runner Maddie Unrein scored from third on the throw down to second on a stolen base attempt from Gutierrez, pushing the score to 4-3 in favor of Mines.
- In the top of the sixth inning, UCCS managed to even the game at four runs apiece as Goldsworth hit a one-out triple down the right field line before Siefken poked an RBI single to left field that plated the fourth run of the game for the Mountain Lions.
- With the game still tied at four, the Mountain Lions got their first two batters in the top of the seventh inning on base with singles before moving the go-ahead runs to second and third base with a sacrifice bunt from Izzy Giroux. The rally would be squandered, however, as the lead runner on third base was thrown out at home attempting to score on a ground ball by Case and Goldsworth flied out to end the inning. In the home half of the frame, Mines managed just a double off the bat of Lexi Semeyn but went scoreless to push the game to extra innings.
- After the Mountain Lions stranded a runner at second base in their half of the eighth inning, Mines quickly put together a rally in the bottom half as two of their first three hitters in the frame singled to put runners on first and second with just one out. The next batter, Ton, grounded a ball to third base that was fielded by Pancost and thrown into right field, which allowed the runner on second base to come around and score the game-winning run in a 5-4 Oredigger victory.
STATS FROM THE GAME | GAME TWO
- UCCS tallied 12 hits in game two of the series with eight of the nine players in the starting lineup recording at least one.
- Siefken paced the Mountain Lions offensively, going 3-for-4 with a double and an RBI. Gutierrez and Goldsworth also posted multi-hit games as they each recorded 2-for-4 lines in the game.
- The Mountain Lions were active on the basepaths as Unrein stole two bases, her fourth and fifth of the season, and Gutierrez swiped her 13th bag of the year. She remains perfect on the season with 13 steals in 13 attempts.
- Despite the rocky first inning, Bond (6-9) went the distance inside the circle for the Mountain Lions, pitching 7.1 innings in which she allowed five runs (three earned) and struck out two hitters.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- With hits in both games today, Pancost and Giroux both extended their hitting streaks to seven games. In the seven-game stretch, Pancost has posted a .591 batting average (13-22) with three doubles, two triples, one home run, and 14 RBIs while Giroux has posted a .320 batting average (8-25) with two RBIs.
UP NEXT
- The Mountain Lions will conclude their series against Colorado School of Mines tomorrow with a doubleheader set to begin at 11 a.m. from Golden, Colo.
SOCIAL
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As a member of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, the University of Colorado Colorado Springs competes in 14 varsity sports in NCAA Division II intercollegiate athletics.
