AUSTIN, Texas – Hometown boy Gabe Garvens thrived in his return to Austin on Friday as he led the Colorado School of Mines Baseball team to a 3-2 victory over St. Edward's at Lucian-Hamilton Field in the series opener of a four-game set.
 
Garvens, a graduate of Lake Travis High School in Austin, hit the first home run of his career and finished the game 1-for-4 with one run and two RBI. Garvens' long ball happened to serve as the go-ahead hit. The sophomore also came over from third base to record the save, pitching 2.0 innings of one-hit shutout relief while striking out two Hilltoppers. Mikey Gangwish accounted for the other RBI. Trevor Kehe and Phil VanZale each scored a run. In total, five different Orediggers recorded a hit for Mines.
 
On the mound, Tyler Blomster (1-1) got the start and earned his first win of the season. Blomster struck out 10 batters in 7.0 innings of two-run, five-hit baseball. The junior righty only walked two batters and finished his day with 105 pitches while facing 29 batters.
 
As a team, Mines (3-2) moves over .500 on the season while dealing St. Edward's (7-3) its third loss of the year. Offense and hitting was scarce for both teams as the Orediggers and Hilltoppers combined to hit just .158 on the day. The two rivals also racked up 23 combined strikeouts.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
Despite its extended hiatus from competition, Mines lost none of its patience that provided success on opening weekend. Kehe and Jace Selsor opened the game with back-to-back walks. Then, a SEU passed ball moved the duo up to second and third. Gangwish stepped to the plate and wasted no time driving Kehe across the plate with a ground-ball RBI to second base to give Mines a 1-0 lead. Blomster carried that momentum into the bottom half of the opening frame recording three straight outs including a strikeout.
 
St. Edward's broke up the shutout and the no-hitter early, in the bottom of the second inning. The Hilltoppers used a two-out double followed by a single to tie the game 1-1. However, Blomster and the Orediggers' defense limited the damage and ended the inning with a ground ball back to the mound.
 
The walk parade continued for SEU as it racked up four free passes through four innings and strikeouts continued piling up for Blomster who tallied six over the same span. On the offensive side, Mines provided its response in the top of the fourth. VanZale was hit by a pitch and advanced to second on another Hilltoppers' passed ball. Garvens would bring him home with the first home run of his career to left field. Garvens' tank fueled a strong defensive half for the Orediggers that featured two strikeouts in a 1-2-3 affair.
 
Mines' defensive rhythm continued through the next four innings as Blomster mowed down two in the fifth, one in the sixth and one more in the seventh inning. The Orediggers remained unfazed despite one Hilltopper run in the sixth. Garvens moved from third base onto the mound in the top of the eighth inning and executed the save almost flawlessly. St. Edward's final attempt at a rally in the final inning was to no avail as Garvens worked a strikeout looking and a fly ball to Kehe in center field.
 
NOTABLES
- Mines is now 6-6 in the all-time series against St. Edward's with two straight wins over the Hilltoppers.
- Garvens' home run was the only extra-base hit for the Orediggers on Friday.
- Kehe stole his second base of the season and is now 2-for-2 on the year.
- Blomster is now ranked #7 on Mines' all-time strikeouts list with 131 in his career.
- Friday also marked the 15th victory of Blomster's career moving him into a tie for #5 on Mines' all-time wins list. He is currently tied with A.J. Valerio.
- Garvens' save was his first of the season and sixth of his career.
- Kehe has now played in 100 games with 89 starts for Mines.
- Head coach Robby Bales is 3-2 in his first season as head coach of the Orediggers.
 
WHAT'S NEXT
Mines continues its series at St. Edward's on Saturday with a doubleheader starting at 12 p.m. (CT). 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.