SAN ANGELO, Texas – No. 25 Angelo State used a one-out single in the fifth inning to plate the go-ahead run to defeat the Colorado School of Mines baseball team by a score of 3-2 in the final game of the series on Sunday afternoon at Foster Field in San Angelo, Texas.
Sophomore left Nick Vitulli (0-1) was hit with the loss for the Orediggers (2-5), despite allowing just one run (unearned) on three hits over 4.2 innings of relief. He struck out one and walked one in relief of starter Tommy Rodgers, who gave up two runs (both earned) on five hits in 3.1 innings.
Rodgers struck out four and walked three over 80 pitches.
Junior catcher A.J. Schillinger led the offense with a 3-for-3 effort at the plate with a run scored and a double. He also walked in his first at-bat to reach base in all four plate appearances.
Sophomore Nate Olinger finished 2-for-4 with a double and a run scored while freshman Logan Smith added a RBI infield single on a 2-for-4 batting line.
Senior Charlie Basil (1-for-4, RBI) and freshman Cody Marvel (1-for-4) each added hits as well.
Mines took the first lead of the contest in the top of the first inning when Olinger doubled to center and moved to third on a wild pitch. He then scored on a groundout by Basil, giving the visitors a quick 1-0 lead.
The Rams (9-2), ranked No. 25 by the NCBWA and No. 26 by College Baseball Lineup, answered in the home half of the inning with one of their own to tie up the contest, 1-1.
The score held until the fourth, when Mines again took the lead when another double plus wild pitch combination left Schillinger on third. Smith single to short to score Schillinger in the next at-bat for a 2-1 lead.
ASU answered again in the fourth with a score to tie up the contest and plated the eventual game winner in the bottom of the fifth on a RBI single by Brett David.
Jake Albert (1-1) captured his first win of the year for Angelo State with six innings of one-run relief with seven strikeouts.
Mines will open up its RMAC slate with a four-game series against Regis in Denver starting on Friday.
