Game 1 – FLC 2, CSM 1
Game 2 – CSM 6, FLC 3
 
DURANGO, Colo. — Playing with heavy hearts, the Fort Lewis softball team (7-16 overall, 5-13 in the Rocky Mountain  Athletic Conference) went toe-to-toe with one of the nation's elite, splitting a doubleheader with No. 12 Colorado Mines (23-4-1, 13-3) Friday afternoon at Aspen Field.
 
Fort Lewis played without the services of head coach Kira Zeiter, whose father, Bruce, died in an automobile accident Tuesday night while driving from Tucson, Ariz., to Durango for the series. The third-year Skyhawk coach flew to her family home in Tucson on Wednesday.
 
The FLC players, coaches and game personnel wore black wristbands with golden “BRZ” initials on them and observed a moment of silence prior to pregame introductions.
 
“The girls and the athletic staff wanted to dedicate today's games to Bruce,” said assistant coach Erin Holloway, who filled in for Zeiter in managing FLC. “The girls went out today and wanted to have fun and play well for the Zeiter family.”
 
Kassie Haubert (3-7), a fifth-year senior, turned in a gutsy performance in the opener, allowing just eight hits, four walks and one run to win a 2-1 pitcher's duel over previously unbeaten Kelly Unkrich (14-1) in the opener. Haubert struck out six Orediggers and worked herself out of one jam after another to record her 32nd career victory — just one shy of Cassidy Maine's school-record 33 wins, set between 2004 and 2007.
 
“Kassie battled today, threw a big game and came up clutch in big situations when she needed an out,” said Holloway.
 
Mines' Unkrich, who ranks sixth nationally in earned run average (0.88 coming into today's games) was nearly perfect. Fort Lewis managed just three hits against her.
 
The game started ominously for FLC. Macy Jones led off with a triple to right center and scored on a wild pitch two batters later. A double, another wild pitch, a walk and a stolen base later put the Orediggers in position to take a big lead early. But Haubert stifled CSM by striking out two and getting a ground out.
 
After loading the bases in the second, Haubert again pitched herself out of trouble as the Orediggers stranded three more.
 
Fort Lewis capitalized on a pair of Mines errors and two hit batters in the second to pull ahead 2-1 in the bottom of the second — a frame that saw them score twice without getting a hit.
 
“We came up with key hits when we needed them and put the ball into play to allow them to make mistakes,” Holloway said of FLC making the most of its chances.
 
Mines stranded three more in the fifth in a rare frame where they hit back-to-back doubles but couldn't push across a run. Morgan Anderson led off with a double to center before Kamee Vessey hit a flare to shallow center that managed to elude three Skyhawk fielders. Anderson was forced to remain near second base, though, in case the ball was caught and could only advance to third on the play as Vessey hustled into second base, which was vacated by FLC's two middle infielders who tried to catch her popup. The next batter, Sami Springer, walked to load the bases. But Haubert retired the next three to get out of the inning.
 
The Orediggers would only get one baserunner the rest of the game as FLC held on for the win.
 
Kaitlyn Bending went 2-for-3 in the opener for FLC, while Destinee DeHerrera doubled to account for FLC's three hits.
 
Vessey and Gianna Duncan each had two hits for Mines in game one.
 
Fort Lewis led 3-2 for much of the nightcap before Courtney Derus came off the bench to blast a pair of homers and give the Orediggers a 6-3 win.
 
Mines again went ahead 1-0 in the top of the first, this time by stringing together a pair of singles. They extended their lead to 2-0 in the third on a leadoff, solo bomb by Anderson.
 
The Skyhawks responded in their half of the frame, though, to grab a 3-2 lead. Mariah Stuart led off with a single up the middle, advanced to second on Erica Conley's sacrifice bunt and moved to third on Missy Fundora's single to center. Bending hit a seeing-eye single through the left side to plate Stuart, setting the table for FLC's big bats. After Chelsea Rodriguez flied out to left, Kaylynn Harmon tripled into the gap in left center to drive in two.
 
Fort Lewis maintained its 3-2 lead until Derus entered the game as a pinch hitter for Molly Thiebaut with two outs in the fifth. Derus smashed a three-run shot to center to give CSM the lead for good at 5-3.
 
The Skyhawks gave themselves a chance to cut into the lead in the bottom of the fifth as Rodriguez and Harmon reached on a single and walk, respectively, with two outs before  DeHerrera popped up to short.
 
Derus hit her second bomb, this one down the left field line, with one out in the seventh to chase hard-luck starter Victoria Johnson (2-5) and account for CSM's final run.
 
Ashley Goletz (9-3) was strong in the circle, holding FLC to seven hits while striking out four. She retired the last seven Skyhawk batters.
 
Derus, who now shares the CSM team lead with six long balls, went 2-for-2 with four runs batted in. Anderson, Vessey and Paige Coufal also had two hits for the Orediggers.
 
Rodriguez and Stuart each went 2-for-3 for Fort Lewis.
 
Johnson allowed 12 hits in 6.1 innings of work for FLC. Katie Watkins relieved her in the seventh, retiring two while giving up a hit that didn't factor into the scoring.
 
“We played well defensively (in game two),” said Holloway. “We just need to hit the ball and get those timely hits. Victoria pitched well except for a couple of big hits. Mines had timely hitting.”
 
The same two teams meet at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Saturday to conclude the series.
 
Today's games marked FLC's home opener at Aspen Field. FLC's previous home series — against Colorado State-Pueblo — was shortened to a three-game set and played in Farmington, N.M., earlier this year because Aspen Field still had snowpack on it.