GOLDEN, Colo. – The Colorado School of Mines Baseball team hit seven home runs Tuesday as it swept its doubleheader against Sioux Falls, 13-12 and 8-4 at Jim Darden Field. Mines' six home runs in game one tied the program record for most dingers in one game.
Walter Pennington led the charge with three bombs as he went 4-for-8 with four runs and five RBI.
Joe Popp finished the day batting .600 with two long balls in game one as he scored five runs and drove in three on the day.
Mikey Gangwish and
Trevor Kehe also went yard, combining for five runs and five RBI.
On the mound,
Matt Martin (1-0) got his first win of the season in game one thanks to 3.0 innings of shutout relief with three strikeouts.
Gabe Garvens (3-0) got the win in game two, coming out of the bullpen to pitch 4.0 innings of one-run, two-hit baseball.
Jake Ekstrom got the game-one start while
Nick Gardner started in game two, but neither factored in the decision.
Game One – Mines 13, Sioux Falls 12
In a game that turned into a home run derby, walk-off heroics were required for Mines to get the win.
Sioux Falls (0-9) jumped out to an early 1-0 lead as it plated a run in the opening frame. However, the Orediggers (12-5) responded with four runs in the bottom half, sparked by Pennington's first home run of the day to left-center field. Despite the Cougars retaking the lead with four runs in the second, Kehe's home run put Mines back on top, 6-5 in the bottom of the second.
The Cougars ran off five unanswered runs behind three home runs over the next two innings, putting the Orediggers in a 10-6 hole. In the bottom of the fourth frame, Gangwish, Pennington and Popp all sent balls out of the yard to tie the game, 10-10.
Another USF home run in the sixth inning gave the Cougars the lead, but Mines would respond yet again. Popp hit his second home run of the day in the bottom half and
Daniel Ciraula hit an RBI double bringing the score to 12-11 in Mines' favor.
Sioux Falls tied it again in the seventh, but could not take the lead as Martin provided scoreless relief in the eighth and ninth inning. In the bottom of the ninth, Popp stepped in with the bases loaded and hit a blistering single past the shortstop to give Mines the walk-off win.
Game Two – Mines 8, Sioux Falls 4
Defense reared its head in game two. Gardner struck out the side in the top of the first and worked a shutout in the second frame, surrendering just a single.
Scoring reappeared in the third inning as Sioux Falls used a pair of Mines' errors to score three runs and take a 3-0 lead. The Orediggers responded by manufacturing a pair of runs in the bottom of the third thanks to two passed balls by the Cougars' catcher. Pennington's third home run of the day came in the bottom of the fourth as Mines charged back into the lead again, 4-3.
Sioux Falls tied it in the seventh inning with a single run. However, the Orediggers clinched the sweep in the bottom of the eighth, scoring four runs behind a bases-clearing double from
Derek Daly.
NOTABLES
- Mines is 6-1 in its last seven games.
- The Orediggers have hit 33 home runs through 17 games this season.
- Popp and Pennington have hit two home runs in one game twice this season.
- Gangwish has hit five home runs in his last seven games, including a streak of four straight games.
- Mines caught one runner stealing and picked off two others at first base in Tuesday's doubleheader.
- On the season, the Orediggers have held opponents to 7-of-14 on the base paths.
- Popp leads the team with a 16-game hitting streak.
-
Trevor Kehe has reached base safely in every game this season.
WHAT'S NEXT
The Orediggers close the series with Sioux Falls Wednesday at 4 p.m. at Jim Darden Field. Live stats and video will be available at www.MinesAthletics.com.
Keep up with Colorado School of Mines Athletics all season long on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram using the handle @MinesAthletics.
