Cowgirls fall short on day one against Colorado School of Mines

Las Vegas, NM --- The New Mexico Highlands softball team dropped a pair of Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference games against Colorado School of Mines 5-8 in game one and 4-7 in game two in Las Vegas, NM.
 
The Cowgirls (4-6, 4-6 RMAC) fell behind early in game one as the Orediggers scored the first two runs of the afternoon in the bottom of the first inning. A throwing error from the third basemen followed by a fielder's choice put Taylor Fish (Fr; Wildomar, CA) and Carlee Gonzalez (Fr; Rocklin, CA) on first and second. A single from freshman Samantha Gamboa (Fr; Albuquerque, NM) scored Fish from second and Paige Varni's (Fr; Clovis, CA) sacrifice fly to right field tied the game at two runs. The Cowgirls weren't finished as another Oredigger error gave the Cowgirls a 3-2 lead as Camrynn Ziegler (Jr; El Paso, TX) made it 4-2 with a two-bagger that scored Tamia Yellowman (Fr; Phoenix, AZ).
 
The Orediggers put together a string of runs in the bottom of the second inning to quickly regain the lead from the Cowgirls scoring three runs off six hits at 5-4, and would go on to win the game 7-4.
 
Ziegler and Gamboa both recorded two hits and an RBI for the Cowgirls while Fish, Yellowman, and Megan Gutierrez (Fr; Whitier, CA) all registered one hit each. Nathalie Blattman (So; Abbotsville, Canada) pitched a complete game in the circle giving up seven runs off five hits while all seven runs were earned.
 
Game two was all Orediggers again as they scored two runs in the first and second innings to jump to a 4-0 advantage. Early in the fourth inning, Gutierrez singled down the left-field line as fish followed with a double to get runners in scoring position for the Cowgirls as Gonzalez would score Gutierrez with a hard hit ball up the middle before the Orediggers retired the next three batters to maintain a 4-1 advantage.
 
After the Orediggers scored three runs on the bottom of the sixth, the Cowgirls last chance was sparked with a double down the right field line from Savannah Pineda Chavez (Fr; Montebello, CA). Varni grounded out to second base to move Chavez to third as another Oredigger error made it 7-2. A two-run shot from Ziegler cut the Oredigger lead the three runs before Brooklynn DeLozier (Sr; Longmont, CO) and Gutierrez would both fly out to right field and give the Orediggers a 7-4 win in game two.
 
Ziegler finished the game with two hits and two RBI while Fish also recorded two hits for herself. Varni received the start in the circle in game two, giving up seven runs off ten hits and striking out one Oredigger.
 
The Cowgirls and Orediggers will finish the four-game series with a doubleheader scheduled to start today at 11 am! Live stream and live stats here .
 
GO COWGIRLS!!