GOLDEN, Colo. – The Colorado School of Mines Baseball team caught fire at the plate Friday afternoon as it scorched Adams State in a 22-3 victory at Jim Darden Field.
 
Derek Daly tied the program record for home runs in a game as he went 3-for-5 with three bombs. He finished the game with three runs and five RBI. Mines' home run king Mikey Gangwish hit his third dinger of the season and was a perfect 4-for-4 at the plate. Gangwish also scored three runs with two RBI and a double. Joe Popp joined the long-ball party, hitting his first tank of the year while racking up three runs and four RBI on a 3-for-6 day at the plate. Gabe Garvens came up big as well, hitting two doubles and his third home run of 2019.
 
Drew Hill (3-2) started on the mound for Mines and got the win thanks to 6.0 innings of three-run, three-hit baseball. Hill finished the day with nine strikeouts and just one walk. Arik Ringsby, Nash Neff and Colin Morris all provided one inning of shutout relief apiece. Neff struck out the side in his 1.0 inning of work while Morris fanned two more for a total of 14 strikeouts from the Oredigger pitching staff.
 
As a team, Mines (16-8. 7-6 RMAC) tied the program record for home runs in a game with six on the day. The Orediggers had 13 individuals record a hit and six of those players turned in multi-hit performances. Half of Mines' 24 hits went for extra bases. On the other side, Adams State (6-21, 3-10 RMAC) used 20 different players in the loss as its skid extended to five straight games. David Maldonado (2-5) was the starter and pitcher of decision for the Grizzlies.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
Friday's series opener began with hints of a pitchers' duel. Hill struck out five Grizzlies batters through the first three innings and Gangwish accounted for the only hit of the game after 2.5 frames of action. However, all that ended when Daniel Ciraula led off the bottom of the third inning with a single up the middle. Then, Gangwish and Daly hit back-to-back, two-out home runs to give the home team a 3-0 lead. That three-run outburst was only the beginning.
 
Mines racked up seven more runs in the next stanza thanks to a pair of Adams State errors. Daly and Popp capitalized on the miscues with another set of back-to-back, two-out jacks. Those home runs extended the Orediggers' advantage to 10-0 as Mines closed the inning with seven runs on five hits and two errors. Noah Kuzma, Garvens, Ciraula, Trevor Kehe, Gangwish, Daly and Popp all came across the plate in the bottom of the fourth frame.
 
Meanwhile, Hill and Mines' defense continued to roll. For the second-straight week, Hill carried a no-hitter into the fourth inning while mowing down six total batters. Adams State broke up the bid with a leadoff single in the fourth inning, but the Orediggers' right-handed sophomore remain unfazed. Hill carried the shutout into the sixth inning with two more strikeouts before ASU managed to get on the board. It was a three-run home run that did the damage, but it would be all the offense Adams State could muster.
 
 
The Orediggers continued padding their lead with one run in the fifth thanks to Garvens' leadoff bomb to left field. Three runs in the sixth followed by three in the seventh virtually sealed the win. However, Mines wasn't done yet. On a day that provided numerous highlights for the home team, the eighth inning may have stolen the show. Three different Orediggers recorded the first hit of their careers as Chris Okamoto, Lucas Ciacco and Jason Hall sparked a five-run outburst to cap the scoring.
 
On defense, Ringsby pitched the top of the seventh frame and needed just 10 pitches to retire the side. Mines' infield backed its pitcher up by turning a groundball double play to erase a leadoff single. Neff followed suit in the eighth inning, allowing just one hit while striking out three more Grizzlies. Neff's performance gave way to Morris in the ninth and the redshirt junior walk-on did not disappoint.
 
NOTABLES
- Mines holds a 23-6 advantage in the all-time series against Adams State.
- The Orediggers' 22 runs on Friday are the most in a single game since Mines scored 23 against Adams State on April 6, 2013.
- Mines' 24 hits in Friday's series opener are the most in a game dating all the way back to 2012.
- Daly is just the second Oredigger to ever hit three home runs in one game. Ryan Phillips was the first, accomplishing the feat on Feb. 23, 2002.
- Daly also tied the program record for total bases in a single game with 12. Gangwish is the only other Oredigger to record 12 bases in one game. He did it twice in 2018.
- Popp's home run against Adams State extended his hitting streak to 10 consecutive games.
- Hill's nine strikeouts against the Grizzlies put the sophomore over 50 strikeouts in his collegiate career.
- Seven different Orediggers have multiple home runs in 2019.
- Gangwish has now reached base safely in 14 consecutive games.
- Gangwish also moved into a tie for #9 on Mines' all-time runs list with 123 in his career.
- Popp's four RBI in Friday's win put him over 100 RBI for his career.
- Mines slugged 1.000 as a team in its 2019 series opener against Adams State.
- Caden Bonds, Chris Okamoto and Arik Ringsby all made their collegiate debuts on Friday.
- Head coach Robby Bales is 16-8 in his first season at the helm.
 
WHAT'S NEXT
Mines continues its series against Adams State on Saturday with a doubleheader starting at 12 p.m. at Jim Darden Field. Live stats and videos 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.