COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The University of Colorado Colorado Springs softball team opened conference play on Saturday with a doubleheader split against Colorado School of Mines as senior Autumn Kunze tossed a complete game shutout to lead the Mountain Lions to an 8-0 win in game one before the Orediggers took game two by a score of 8-3.
 
INSIDE THE MATCHUP
Final: Game 1: UCCS 8, CSM 0 | Game 2: UCCS 3, CSM 8
Records: UCCS (7-4, 1-1 RMAC), CSM (5-7, 1-1 RMAC)
Location: Joe Coors, Jr. Softball Field | Golden, Colo.
All-Time Series: The Mountain Lions move to 73-66-1 all-time against the Orediggers.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED | GAME ONE

• The Mountain Lions utilized some aggressive baserunning to get on the scoreboard in the top of the first inning as Jennavieve Goldsworth led off the game with a walk and promptly stole second base before advancing to third on an infield single by Jacqueline Berkowitz. After the infield hit, Berkowitz intentionally got into a rundown between first and second base which ultimately allowed Goldsworth to take home plate for the first run of the game. UCCS continued to threaten in the frame getting runners to second and third with just one out, but Mines' starting pitcher Kat Miller managed to skirt out of the jam to keep the score at 1-0.
• Senior pitcher Autumn Kunze drew the start inside the circle for the Mountain Lions and found herself in a couple of trouble spots in the first two innings of the ballgame, but she was able to strand multiple runners on the bases in each inning to keep the Orediggers scoreless.
• In the top of the third inning, UCCS continued to create havoc on the basepaths as Goldsworth was hit by a pitch to start the frame and immediately went on to swipe second base for the second time in the game. After moving to third base on a ground out by Berkowitz, Miller unleashed a wild pitch on the fourth ball to Gianna Pancost, which brought Goldsworth across home plate for the second run of the contest.
• Following another scoreless frame by Kunze in the bottom of the third, the Mountain Lions went back to work on the offensive end of the ball in their half of the fourth inning as Halley Redd started a rally with a one-out double to left field before moving to third on a stolen base. After a walk and a stolen base by Addy Baxter put runners on second and third base, Mackenzie Johnson came through in the clutch with an RBI single to the right side of the infield that gave the Mountain Lions a 3-0 lead. With runners now on the corners, the Mountain Lions once again put their aggressiveness on display as Johnson took off for second base on the first of Goldsworth's at-bat and, despite being thrown out of her stolen base attempt, Baxter was able to cruise home without a throw to extend UCCS' advantage to four runs.
• While Kunze continued to deal scoreless softball in the middle innings of the game, UCCS added a crooked number to the scoreboard in the top of the seventh inning as they used five hits and pair of walks to plate four more runs, extending the lead to 8-0. Baxter opened the big inning with a leadoff triple to right center field and promptly came around to score on an RBI double by Johnson. A pair of RBI singles from Mackenzie Scott and Pancost pushed the Mountain Lead to seven runs before Brooke Bornitz capped the scoring in the frame with a run-scoring single to center field.
• In the bottom half of the seventh inning, Kunze returned to the circle and finished off her masterful outing as she worked around a leadoff hit by pitch to secure her second complete game shutout of the season, helping the Mountain Lions earn an 8-0 victory in their conference opener.

STATS FROM THE GAME | GAME ONE

• The Mountain Lions outhit the Orediggers 10-to-3 in the opening game of the series while drawing seven walks and benefiting from one hit batter.
• Johnson provided a spark from the nine-hole in the batting lineup as she went 2-for-3 with a double and led the team with a pair of RBIs.
• Baxter (2-for-3) and Pancost (2-for-3) also notched multi-hit performances, with Baxter collecting the first triple of her collegiate career.
• Goldsworth reached base and scored three times in the game, drawing a pair of walks and getting hit by a pitch.
• UCCS stole six bases in the ballgame, including three by Goldsworth and one apiece from Berkowitz, Redd, and Baxter.
• Kunze (4-0) cruised to her fourth win of the season as she pitched a seven-inning complete game shutout of the Orediggers, allowing just six total baserunners on three hits, two walks, and a hit batter.

HOW IT HAPPENED | GAME TWO

• After the Mountain Lions stranded a pair of runners in scoring position in the top of the first inning, UCCS starting pitcher Kailey Bond pitched herself into some early trouble in the home half of the frame as she walked the first two hitters she faced. Despite the early command issues, Bond limited the Orediggers to just a single run in the opening frame, coming on a sacrifice fly by Emily Rogers.
• In the bottom half of the second inning, the Orediggers made Bond pay for her struggles as they strung together three hits, two walks, and a defensive error to plate three more runs and take a 4-0 lead. Bond was lifted from the game with the bases loaded and one out in the inning in favor of freshman Janessa Giugliano, who immediately got a lineout double play to end the frame.
• The Mountain Lions got on the scoreboard in the top of the third inning with a leadoff home run off the bat of Goldsworth, but saw their deficit grow larger in the bottom half of the fourth frame as Mines used three hits and pair of walks to score four runs against Giugliano, extending their advantage to 8-1.
• The seven-run lead proved to be more than enough cushion for Mines' starting pitcher Taylor Wayne as she limited the Mountain Lions to just a pair of runs across the final three innings of the ballgame to force the doubleheader split.

STATS FROM THE GAME | GAME TWO

• UCCS outhit Mines 8-to-7 in the second game of the day, but the Orediggers drew seven walks to just one for the Mountain Lions.
• Goldsworth put together a 2-for-3 performance out of the leadoff spot with a double, a home run, two RBIs, and a stolen base.
• Katie Steinmetz drove in the third run of the game for UCCS with a pinch-hit single in the top of the seventh inning.
• Bond (2-1) suffered her first loss of the season as her start lasted only 1.2 innings. The senior hurler surrendered four runs (three earned) on three hits and four walks while striking out two hitters.
• Giugliano pitched 4.2 innings in relief of Bond, allowing four earned runs on four hits and three walks with three strikeouts.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE

• The Mountain Lions entered the day ranked first in the RMAC and 15^th in NCAA Division II with a total of 30 stolen bases across their first nine games of the season and added eight more to their ledger in today's pair of games.
• After the first 11 games of the campaign, seven of the Mountain Lions' eight qualified offensive players are hitting over .300 for the season, culminating in an RMAC-leading .366 team batting average.

UP NEXT

• The Mountain Lions will conclude their four-game set against the Orediggers tomorrow with another doubleheader set to begin at 11 a.m. from Golden, Colo.  

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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.  
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