PUEBLO, Colo. – The Colorado School of Mines Baseball team went to extra innings for the first time this season on Friday afternoon and found its way to victory in a 9-8 win over CSU-Pueblo at Rawlings Field.
 
The Orediggers used a full team effort at the plate with four individuals turning in two-hit performances. Gabe Garvens topped the list as he went 2-for-5 with a double and a triple while scoring one run and driving in one more. Joe Popp finished 2-for-6 with two runs and one RBI thanks to his second home run of the season. Mikey Gangwish notched a double in his two-hit performance, drove in two runs and scored one more. Phil VanZale rounded out the two-hit performances with one run of his own. Trevor Howard joined Popp in the long-ball parade, hitting one dinger and notching two RBI. Trevor Kehe also walked twice and scored twice for Mines.
 
Owen Pigati (1-2) was the Orediggers' starter but did not factor in the decision. Pigati struck out two batters in 3.2 innings of five-run, five-hit baseball. Sam Slusser (1-0) earned the win for Mines thanks to 3.2 innings of shutout, two-hit relief. Will Scott was also big for the Orediggers. Mines' true freshman came in from the bullpen for 4.2 innings of relief, surrendering just two runs on three hits with two strikeouts. Ian Durgin also appeared on the mound for the Orediggers.
 
Mines (23-9, 14-7 RMAC) used the victory to extend its winning streak to four games and stay tied for #3 in the RMAC standings. The Orediggers needed just 10 hits to score nine runs while CSU-Pueblo (17-17, 12-9 RMAC) managed just eight runs on 12 hits. Six of Mines' hits went for extra bases for a single-game slugging percentage of .447 compared to a team batting average of .213. The Trailblazers did win the strikeout battle 17-7, but committed two critical errors in the loss.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
It was Popp who set the tone for Mines in the very first inning. With one out, a 0-2 count and the wind blowing in, the senior outfielder sent a solo shot down the left-field line and out of the park for a 1-0, Oredigger lead. However, CSU-Pueblo answered in the bottom half of the opening frame with five runs on three hits and one error. Only four of the runs were earned.
 
Pigati settled in for the second inning and overcame a one-out double to toss up a zero for Mines' defense. The Orediggers took that momentum into the third inning and scratched out two runs thanks to a Gangwish double and Garvens triple, making it 5-3 in favor of the home team. The Thunderwolves managed to load the bases with two outs in the bottom of the third inning, but Scott came in from the bullpen to get the final out and hold CSU-Pueblo scoreless.
 
Once he entered the game, Scott and the Orediggers' defense locked down CSUP for five-straight shutout winnings. Meanwhile, the visitors' offense continued chipping away at the ThunderWolves' lead. One run came in the top of the fifth frame thanks to three consecutive walks and a RBI-ground ball from Danny McDermott, cutting CSU-Pueblo's lead to 5-4. Then, in the top of the seventh stanza, Mines came up big.
 
Garvens sparked the rally in the seventh inning with a one-out double to left field. He proceeded to take third base on a balk by CSU-Pueblo's pitcher. An intentional walk to VanZale and a wild pitch from the Trailblazers brought Garvens in to score, tying the game 5-5. Trevor Howard entered the game as a pinch hitter and wasted no time hitting a 2-1 bomb to left field, giving Mines a 7-5 lead.
 
Gangwish added to the Orediggers' lead with a RBI-single in the eighth inning that scored Popp and gave the visitors an 8-5 lead. However, it was not done yet. CSU-Pueblo used its home-field advantage for a three-run ninth frame to force extra innings.
 
Neither team scored in the 10th inning or 11th inning. Mines' hero would emerge in the top of the 12th in the form of Caden Bonds. The true-freshman shortstop hit a lead-off double to right-center field. Popp's one-out ground ball moved Bonds to third base and the McKinney, Texas, native came in to score on another wild pitch from the ThunderWolves. In the bottom half, Gangwish erased a lead-off, bunt single by picking the runner off at first base. Slusser notched a strikeout for the second out and then a line drive to right field to clinch the victory.
 
NOTABLES
- Mines is 9-5 in the all-time series against CSU-Pueblo since 2016.
- Trevor Howard's bomb marks the third of the season and third of his career.
- Slusser's win is his first of the season and improves him to 4-5 in his career.
- Kehe's two runs give him 149 in his career.
- Popp's bomb moves the senior to 17 dingers in the last four seasons.
- Gangwish has reached base safely in 22-straight games.
- Friday's extra-innings thriller is Mines' longest game of the season in both innings and time.
- Head coach Robby Bales is 23-9 in his first season at the helm.
 
WHAT'S NEXT
Mines and CSU-Pueblo are slated to continue their series Saturday at 1 p.m. with a doubleheader at Rawlings 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.