GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. – The Colorado School of Mines Baseball team punched its ticket to the RMAC Tournament Championship game Friday thanks to a program-record 13 runs in the fourth inning as it defeated CSU-Pueblo 16-8 at Sam Suplizio Field.
Trevor Kehe led the high-powered offense, going 4-for-5 with a home run while scoring three runs and driving in three more. Defending RMAC Player of the Year
Mikey Gangwish was perfect on the night, recording three hits in three at-bats with a double. He also scored two runs and racked up three RBI.
Jace Selsor also hit a home run for Mines and scored three times. A total of five Orediggers tallied multiple hits as five more scored multiple runs and four recorded multiple RBI.
Jake Englehart was the starting pitcher and improved to 5-0 with 5.0 innings of two-run, four-hit baseball while striking out two batters.
Mitch Menard,
Max Moxley,
Jake Ekstrom and
Jake Roberts all provided an inning of relief apiece. Nate Spear (1-1) took the loss for the Thunderwolves.
CSU-Pueblo (29-23) took an early lead in the top of the third inning thanks to a two-run home run from
Zach Hoffman. Mines (35-14) immediately cut the lead in half in the bottom of the third inning as Kehe came around to score on a RBI-single from Gangwish.
The Orediggers blew the game wide open the very next inning thanks to 13 runs on 10 hits with one error by CSUP.
John Howard,
Colton Wardle,
Derek Daly and Kehe all went 2-for-2 in the inning. Howard Kehe and Wardle also came around to score twice in the frame. The only extra-base hit in the hour-long affair was Kehe's two-run home run to left field.
Mines added two more runs in the sixth inning to cap its scoring. CSU-Pueblo chipped away at the lead with one run in the sixth, two in the eighth and three in the ninth, but it was too little too late.
NOTABLES
- Mines increased its program record for single-season wins to 35 with the victory.
- The Orediggers are the only 3-0 team in the 2018 RMAC Tournament.
- Mines has come from behind to win in 17 games this year.
- Friday's fourth inning lasted over an hour and snapped Mines' previous single-inning scoring record of 11 runs, set against Doane in 2000.
- Englehart is 8-0 in his career as an Oredigger.
- Kehe has reached base safely in 58 of his last 59 games, dating back to 2017.
- Kehe is currently riding a 13-game hitting streak and 14-game reached-base streak.
- Daly is currently batting .800 with three runs and three RBI in the 2018 RMAC Tournament.
- Mines is 32-3 when scoring at least six runs.
- As a team, the Orediggers are batting .315 with 33 runs on 34 hits in the RMAC Tournament.
- Friday marked the 24th game this season with multiple Oredigger home runs.
WHAT'S NEXT
Mines faces Colorado Mesa Saturday at 1 p.m. in the 2018 RMAC Tournament Championship game. The Mavericks must beat the Orediggers twice in order to claim the tournament title. 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.
