GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. - A Colorado School of Mines comeback fell one run short as the Orediggers dropped their RMAC Tournament opener to MSU Denver, 5-4, on Thursday.

Mines (28-25) will fall into the loser's bracket and will face the loser of Colorado Mesa-Chadron State tonight at 7:45 p.m. MSU Denver (34-21) advances to face the winner of that game tomorrow morning.

It was a back-and-forth battle that ultimately saw the Roadrunners' two-run third inning make the difference despite Mines putting a run on the board in the seventh. Kara Jones went 2-for-3 with a run batted in at the plate while Clara Larson, Loren Dempsey, and Pua Fujinaga also had RBI.

Mines, the away team in the team, got off to a quick start with a two-run first as Kelsey Buechler's lead-off walk turned into a run on a Larson single, and Fujinaga drew a bases-loaded walk later in the inning to lead 2-0. Koryna Wright's three-run homer in the Roadrunners' first at-bat put them ahead, however, but Mines quickly tied it up as Jones' sacrifice fly in the second made it 3-3.

MSU Denver retook the lead in the third as they produced four hits in the inning, including RBI from Sarena Espinoza and Alyssa Richter to go up 5-3. The score stayed that way into the seventh as Mines tried to rally; Dempsey's fielder's choice allowed Katie Leiker to score after Leiker doubled and Fujinaga reached on an error; Mines later had the tying run on third after Buechler's sac bunt, but MSU Denver got a strikeout to end the game.

Claire Stringfellow (14-7) struck out four and walked one in the losing effort. Mines chased Roadrunner starter Darby McGhee (1.1 IP, 2 ER, 5 BB) in the second but Kylee Burnside (13-8) was effective in 5.2 innings of relief, striking out four and allowing one unearned run.

NOTABLES
- It was Jones' 17th multi-hit game of the year.
- Mines drew eight walks in the game, with two by Larson (one intentional).
- Larson extended her Mines single-season record for RBI to 64 with her first-inning single. She also extended her reached-base streak to 21 games.