PUEBLO, Colo. – The Colorado School of Mines Baseball team swept its doubleheader at CSU-Pueblo on Saturday thanks to a 7-1 victory in game one and an 11-6, extra-innings win in game two.
Gabe Garvens led the Orediggers' attack over the two games, tallying five runs and five RBI on four hits including one triple.
Jace Selsor notched five hits on the day with three doubles and scored three times.
Joe Popp came across the plate four times on a 3-for-6 day.
Trevor Howard drove in five runs on three hits with two doubles, batting .600 in the doubleheader. Capping it off was
Mikey Gangwish, turning in a .500 day at the plate while racking up three RBI and two runs.
Walter Pennington (7-1) was lights out on the mound, going the distance in the opening contest for the complete-game victory. Pennington struck out eight batters over seven innings and surrendered just one unearned run on six hits for a 0.00 ERA. None of the six hits went for extra bases.
Tyler Blomster was Mines' game-two starter and victory. Forced into a surgical-type role, Blomster (6-2) put in 7.1 innings of work and struck out three batters while overcoming six runs on seven hits.
Sam Slusser made his second relief appearance of the weekend and closed out the victory in the second game.
The Orediggers' (25-9, 16-7 RMAC) sweep on Saturday gives them sole possession of third place in the RMAC standings. Mines is just two games out of a tie for first place in the conference. CSU-Pueblo (17-19, 12-11 RMAC) remains alone in sixth place. As a team, the Orediggers hit for a combined average of .400 while racking up eight doubles and one triple. Mines' pitching staff struck out 12 batters, held the ThunderWolves to a combined .228 average at the plate and turned in an overall ERA of 3.60.
Game One – Mines 7, CSU-Pueblo 1
Mines put together a nearly binary box score in the opening round of the day with single runs in the first, third, fourth and fifth innings. Three runs in the seventh frame eliminated the binary factor but did provide the visitors with a comfortable win.
Selsor generated the first run of the game in the opening frame, using a lead-off single to reach base and eventually scoring on a passed ball. Popp and Gangwish teamed up for the second run of the game in the third stanza. Popp was hit by a pitch and Gangwish drove him in with a single through the right side. Garvens came in to score in the fourth inning on a perfectly-placed bunt single courtesy of
Caden Bonds. Garvens stepped into the RBI roll in the fifth inning, bringing Kehe across the plate on a sacrifice fly for a 4-0 lead.
Meanwhile, Kehe helped the cause on defense with an outfield assist in the first inning to cancel out a lead-off single for CSU-Pueblo. Pennington worked three ground-ball outs in the second inning and retired the home team in order. The Orediggers' junior lefty used the strikeout as his tool of choice in the third, fourth and fifth innings, fanning five batters and giving up his lone, unearned run of the game.
Popp and Kehe opened the final frame with back-to-back hits. The visitors parlayed that start into three runs on four hits and expanded their lead to 7-1. That cushion was all Pennington needed to close it out. The Broomfield, Colo., native worked a foul-out and mowed down the final two batters with a strikeout swinging and a strikeout looking.
Game Two – Mines 11, CSU-Pueblo 6 (8 inn.)
The second game of the day boiled down to three total innings. Both teams scored three runs in the opening frame and three more runs apiece in the fifth inning. Mines' offensive surges prior to extra innings were fueled by doubles from Gangwish and
Trevor Howard in the first inning and singles from Garvens and
Trevor Howard in the fifth inning.
However, the turning point of the game came in extra innings in the top of the eighth. Bonds worked a lead-off walk and Selsor immediately doubled to put runners on second and third for the Orediggers. Popp kept it rolling with a single to right field which scored Bonds and gave the visitors a 7-6 lead. Mines was not done yet. Kehe plated Selsor with a sacrifice to centerfield. Gangwish laid down a bunt single to the pitcher, and Garvens smacked a triple down the left-field line for a 10-6, Oredigger lead.
Trevor Howard capped the rally with a sacrifice of his own to make it 11-6.
CSU-Pueblo attempted a rally by hitting a lead-off double in the bottom of the eighth inning. However, Blomster and Slusser were not having it. Blomster worked a fly ball for the first out. Slusser came on and got a second fly ball, and then struck out the final batter to clinch the second extra-innings victory in as many days.
NOTABLES
- Mines is 11-5 in the all-time series against CSU-Pueblo since 2016.
- Saturday's sweep extends the Orediggers' winning streak to six games.
- Mines required zero home runs to get both wins on Saturday afternoon.
- Garvens big day was fueled by a perfect, 3-for-3 performance in game two with three runs and three RBI.
- Blomster's win marks the 20th pitching victory of his career.
- Pennington now has exactly 160 strikeouts in his career – tied for #5 on Mines' all-time list.
- Garvens notched his second triple of the weekend in the sweep.
- Gangwish has reached base safely in 24 consecutive games and boasts a nine-game hitting streak.
- Kehe stole two bases in the doubleheader which moves him to 21 on the season and ranks #4 on Mines' single-season list.
- The Orediggers are now 2-0 in extra inning affairs this season.
- Head coach
Robby Bales is 25-9 in his first season at the helm.
WHAT'S NEXT
Mines closes its series at CSU-Pueblo on Sunday at 12 p.m. 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.
