DENVER, Colo. - The 10th-ranked Metro State softball team lost to Colorado Mines 6-2 on Saturday morning in an elimination game at the NCAA Central Region Tournament at Regis University. The loss ends the Roadrunners' season at 40-12, while Colorado Mines improved to 39-18.
Metro State committed a season-high five errors, leading to five unearned runs for the Orediggers. Starting pitcher Brittany Moss suffered the loss, allowing just one earned run and striking out five in seven innings. Dani Murphy earned the win for Colorado Mines, throwing five-plus innings and allowing two runs (one earned). Katie Kocman came on in the sixth inning with nobody out and earned the save with two scoreless innings.
Moss allowed a two-out walk and single in the top of the first inning to put runners on first and third. Jackye Lagen then hit a groundball to first base, but the ball deflected off of Jessica Haab's glove into right field to allow Sarah Van Lingen to score on Metro State's first error of the game.
The Roadrunners had just one baserunner in the first four innings, a one-out single to center by Lauren Hainlen in the second inning.
After a leadoff home run to left field by Kaleigh Starr in the top of the fifth, things unraveled for Metro State defensively. The Roadrunners committed three consecutive errors before allowing an RBI single by Lagen to give Mines a 4-0 lead after a three-run top of the fifth inning.
The Roadrunner bats finally came alive in the fifth. Hainlen led off with another base hit. Following a flyout to deep left-centerfield by Corrie Nishikida, Danni Hedstrom reached on catcher's interference to put runners on first and second with one out. Haab then delivered an RBI double down the leftfield line to cut the CSM lead to 4-1. Following a strikeout, Amber Roundtree hit a sharp single to right to cut the lead to two. But Roundtree ran into Mines' second baseman on a groundball by Kellie Nishikida to end the inning on runner's interference.
Moss allowed consecutive singles to start the sixth inning, but Moss escaped the jam following a sacrifice bunt with a strikeout and a fly out to right.
The Roadrunners loaded the bases in the bottom of the sixth with nobody out. The Orediggers called on Kocman to pitch following a leadoff single by Mickelson. Jennessa Tesone then ripped a single to left and Hainlen walked to load the bases. But Kocman settled down and struck out the next three batters to end the inning.
Another Roadrunner error in the top of the seventh led to two more unearned runs for Mines. Metro State went down scoreless in the bottom of the inning despite Roundtree reaching with one out after being hit by a pitch.
Hainlen led the Roadrunners with two hits
Metro State does not lose any seniors and will return its entire squad for the 2010 season.
