GOLDEN, Colo. – The Colorado School of Mines Baseball team took sole possession of first place in the RMAC standings Monday after taking down No. 7-ranked Colorado Mesa 12-6 and Colorado Christian 10-6 on the final day of pod play. It marks the first time in program history Mines has been alone at the top.
 
Joe Popp led the Orediggers' offense, batting .833 with five hits, four RBI and one run over the two games. Trevor Kehe and Mikey Gangwish each had four hits including a home run each with four RBI and a combined 11 runs scored. Derek Daly also went long for Mines and recorded four RBI.
 
Sam Slusser (1-2) stole the show on the mound, recording his first save and first win of the season. He got the save against CMU with 2.0 innings of one-hit, shutout work while striking out two Mavericks. In game two against CCU he got the win behind 1.2 innings of perfect pitching and added one strikeout. Walter Pennington and Toby Scoles made the starts but did not factor in the decisions. Chris Ramirez (2-2) wore the loss for Mesa in game one while Jarrod Rivera (2-4) took it in game two.
 
Game One – Mines 12, Mesa 6
The Orediggers (22-8, 15-5 RMAC) and Mavericks (23-10, 14-6 RMAC) went back and forth for the first four innings. Gangwish responded to CMU's two runs in the top of the first with his 12th home run of the year in the bottom of the first, his 12th tank of the year. Mines followed up with two runs in the second thanks to Kehe's 10^th bomb of the season and added one run in the third. However, Mesa equaled it with one in the second and two in the fourth.
 
The last five innings were all Orediggers. A zero in the fifth inning led to one Maverick run in the sixth inning. Four Mines' runs in the seventh blew the game open thanks to Daly's mashed tater. Three more in the eighth clinched the win as Slusser came on and earned the save.
 
Game Two – Mines 10, CCU 6
A back-and-forth game led to a 6-6 deadlock in the bottom of the eighth inning. Cameron Maxey led off the inning with a single to center field. Kehe singled down the left-field line and Jace Selsor drew a walk to load the bases. Gangwish stepped to the plate and laced a one-out, two-run single to center field, making it 8-6, Mines.
 
Colton Wardle continued the rally with a RBI, sacrifice bunt to make it 9-6, and a RBI-double from Popp opened up the lead the four runs. Slusser came on in the ninth and sat the Cougars down in order to get the win and complete the doubleheader sweep.
 
NOTABLES
- Kehe has reached base safely in every game this season, a streak of 30 games.
- Mines is 2-0 against Colorado Mesa this season.
- The Orediggers tied the program record for home runs in a season, reaching 55 tanks on the year in game one against Mesa.
- Gangwish has 19-career home runs which is the fifth most in program history.
- Through 30 games, Mines has 20 contests with at least 10 hits.
- Mines has scored at least 10 runs in 16 games this season.
- The Orediggers have had multiple home runs in 17 games.
- Mines is 15-1 when scoring at least 10 runs in a game.
- The Orediggers have come from behind in 12 wins this season.
 
WHAT'S NEXT
Mines heads to Alamosa, Colo. April 13-15 for a four-game set against Adams State. 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.