GOLDEN, Colo. – The Colorado School of Mines Baseball team swept its doubleheader with Colorado Christian on Saturday by scores of 4-1 and 9-1 while redshirt junior Trevor Kehe put together another dominant performance at the plate.
 
In Saturday's doubleheader finale, Kehe batted .833 with four runs and three RBI on one double and three home runs while slugging 2.500. The centerfielder drew one walk and posted an on-base percentage of .857 in six at-bats. Jace Selsor had a multi-hit day as well with two runs and one RBI with one home run. Noah Kuzma, Mikey Gangwish and Joe Popp joined the long-ball party as well with dingers of their own. Kuzma and Gangwish also combined for six RBI on the day.
 
For the pitching staff, it was Tyler Blomster (7-2) and Drew Hill (5-2) collecting the wins. Blomster tossed a complete-game gem in the first game, racking up five strikeouts over seven innings of one-run baseball while walking just one batter. Hill got the start in game two and mowed down nine batters by way of strikeout over five innings of one-hit shutout baseball. Hill held the CCU hitters to a combined average of .063 and allowed just four batters to reach base. Ian Durgin and Gabe Garvens also appeared in relief for a total of two innings.
 
The sweep on Saturday gave Mines (29-10, 20-8 RMAC) the series victory in 3-1 fashion and provided the Orediggers sole possession of second place in the RMAC standings. Mines combined for 14 hits on offense with nine going for extra bases. In total, the Orediggers smacked seven home runs on the day and slugged .725 as a team. Colorado Christian (12-29, 7-21 RMAC) held Mines to a batting average of .275 and struck out 16 batters. However, the two losses virtually eliminate the Cougars from a potential berth in the conference tournament.
 
Game One – Mines 4, Colorado Christian 1
The first game of the day was straight forward and to the point. From the leadoff spot, Selsor opened the game with a solo home run to right field on a one-ball, one-strike count. Kehe gave Mines a 2-0 lead in the third inning with a one-out, solo shot of his own. Kehe went yard again in the sixth inning for a 3-0 lead. Trevor Howard capped Mines' scoring in that same inning with a RBI single through the right side of the infield.
 
On defense, Blomster led the Orediggers to a 1-2-3 opening frame. He overcame a hit batter and CCU single with a strikeout in the second inning to maintain the shutout. Blomster struck out a second batter in the third stanza before things got dicey in the fourth inning. Colorado Christian loaded the bases thanks, in part, to a dropped third strike on the opening batter of the frame. However, Blomster laid down a three-pitch strikeout and got a ground ball for the last out. The Cougars' only run of the game came in the final inning on a two-out, RBI single.
 
Game Two – Mines 9, Colorado Christian 1
All but two of the Orediggers' runs came off the long ball. It was Kehe's third home run of the day that put Mines on the board in the bottom of the first inning. Kuzma sparked a five-run frame in the second with his three-run shot. Gangwish also walked in a run and Gabe Garvens scored on a wild pitch. Gangwish chipped in on the scoring again in the fourth inning with a two-run moon shot over the scoreboard in right-center field. Colorado Christian immediately changed pitchers, but to no avail as Popp made it back-to-back jacks with a solo mashed tater to center field. Popp's home run gave Mines a 9-0 lead and capped the scoring for the home team.
 
Meanwhile, Hill was nearly untouchable on the mound. He struck out five batters through the first two frames and only allowed two runners on base due to a hit batter and a walk. The sophomore righty looked to his defense in the third inning with two fly balls and ground-out to third base. Hill struck out four more batters in his final two innings of work. Durgin took over in the sixth frame and allowed just one run for the final tally. Garvens closed it out in the ninth with a double play and a fly ball for the win.
 
NOTABLES
- Mines boasts a home record of 17-2 in 2019 at Jim Darden Field.
- Hill's nine strikeouts on Saturday moved the sophomore up to #2 on the Orediggers' single-season strikeouts list with 83 on the season. He now has 90 strikeouts in his career.
- Kehe now has 29 home runs in his career which is tied for #3 on Mines' all-time list.
- Kehe also has 161 runs in the last three seasons, ranking #3 on the program's career runs list.
- Blomster is now 21-5 over 29 career starts. He's tied for #1 in all-time wins at Mines.
- Selsor tied the all-time hits mark on Saturday with the 258th base knock of his career.
- Gangwish continues leading the Orediggers in all-time home runs and RBI with 38 and 164, respectively.
- Gangwish also extended his reached-base streak to 29 games.
- Head coach Robby Bales is 29-10 in his first season at the helm.
 
WHAT'S NEXT
Mines heads south to Colorado Springs April 26-28 for a four-game series at UCCS. 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.