ALAMOSA – Freshman Cody Marvel and junior A.J. Schillinger combined for five RBI and sophomore lefty Nate Olinger limited home-standing Adams State to five hits over five innings to lead the Colorado School of Mines baseball team to a series-evening 8-4 victory in the first game of Saturday's doubleheader at the ASU Baseball Field.
Mines (12-15, 10-10 RMAC) rebounded from Friday's series-opening loss to post 10 hits and eight runs, with all eight of those scores coming in the first four innings. The Orediggers have now won eight of their last 10 games dating back to a series-opening win over Metro State on March 21 in Denver.
Marvel finished 1-for-3, but knocked in three runs to push his team-leading total to 24 on the season. The true freshman hit a sacrifice fly in the first inning, an RBI ground out in the third and hit an RBI single to right in his three at-bats.
Schillinger, a junior transfer, continued his hot start to his Silver & Blue career with a 2-for-3 effort with a pair of RBI. Olinger finished 1-for-4 at the plate and scored three times in addition to his work on the mound.
Senior Charlie Basil knocked in a run and scored once on a 2-for-4 clip and freshman Kyle Alexander finished 2-for-3 with an RBI. Freshman Logan Smith (1-for-4, run) and sophomore Josh Martinez (1-for-2, two runs) closed out Mines' 10-hit attack with a base hit apiece.
Olinger (4-1) allowed two runs (earned) on five hits over 5.0 innings. He struck out three and walked three to earn his third win in as many starts. Rookie Kellen MacDonald allowed two runs (earned) on three hits with one walk in an inning of relief and senior Peter Herrin closed the game for Mines with two strikeouts in a hitless inning of relief work.
J.D. Heredia suffered the loss for Adams State (11-20, 9-12 RMAC) after allowing seven runs (five earned) on seven hits in three innings.
Marvel's sac fly in the first inning scored Smith and gave the visitors a 1-0 lead and Mines added another run on an RBI single to right by Schillinger.
The squad pushed its lead to 5-0 in the top of the third with a three-run half inning. Marvel added his second RBI of the contest on a groundout to second base which scored Martinez and Basil brought in the second run on an RBI single to left which scored Olinger. Mines pushed the third run across when sophomore Jack Bevan reached on an error with the bases loaded which allowed Basil to score.
Mines put up another crooked number in the fourth to increase its lead even more. Martinez led off the inning with a single to center field and an Olinger single in the next at-bat put runners at first and second. The two came into scoring position on a double steal before Marvel notched his third RBI of the contest with an RBI single to right which scored Martinez. Schillinger reached on an error by the shortstop in the next at-bat to score Olinger and Alexander closed Mines' scoring with a sacrifice fly to center which scored Marvel and gave Mines an 8-0 lead.
Adams State notched two runs in both the fifth and sixth innings but could not overcome the deficit in falling by an 8-4 score.
The second game of the doubleheader was halted in the fourth inning due to snowfall with Mines up 3-1. That game will be finished at noon tomorrow before the two squads battle in the fourth and final game of the series.
