COLORADO SPRINGS – Junior pitcher
Tyler Blomster became the Orediggers' all-time wins leader on Saturday afternoon as the Colorado School of Mines Baseball team split its doubleheader with UCCS by scores of 1-3 and 3-2 at Mountain Lion Park.
Blomster earned the record-breaking victory in complete-game fashion, tossing seven innings of baseball while giving up just two runs on seven hits and striking out four batters. Fellow starting pitcher and junior
Walter Pennington also tossed a complete game for the Orediggers. Unfortunately, Pennington took the loss despite six innings of three-run, nine-hit baseball with six strikeouts. The pair of complete games resulted in no Mines pitchers appearing out of the bullpen.
John Howard was Mines' top hitter, finishing the day with a .667 batting average while scoring one run with one RBI and notching one double.
Mikey Gangwish played the hero with one home run that proved to be the game-winner in the day's second contest. Gangwish hit .500 on the day with one run and one RBI.
Danny McDermott made it a trio of multi-hit performances, tallying three base knocks on the day with one run scored.
Joe Popp accounted for the Orediggers' other run and
Trevor Howard contributed a RBI as well.
As a team, Mines (31-11, 22-9 RMAC) scratched out the doubleheader split despite its combined batting average of .250. The pitching duo of Pennington and Blomster combined for 10 strikeouts and an overall ERA of 2.77. UCCS (27-18, 19-12 RMAC) posted its own team batting average of .320 and struck out 10 batters as well. However, the Orediggers finished the day with three hits for extra bases compared to just one for the home team. Mines retains sole possession of #2 in the RMAC standings, sitting three games out of first and one game ahead of Dixie State at #3.
Game One – UCCS 3, Mines 1
After Mines and UCCS combined for 36 runs in the series opener, the first game of Saturday's doubleheader was a relative sprint. The home team scratched out one run in the second inning and another in the third for a 2-0 lead. The Mountain Lions starting pitcher and UCCS's defense carried a no-hitter into the sixth frame before the Orediggers' bats started to warm up.
Popp broke up the no-hit bid in the top of the sixth with a one-out double down the left-field line.
John Howard proceeded to break up the shutout in the very next at-bat with a RBI-single to left-center field. Unfortunately for Mines, that would be all of its scoring for the contest while UCCS added a run of insurance in the bottom of the sixth to make the final tally of 3-1.
Game Two – Mines 3, UCCS 2
The second round of the doubleheader was fairly cut and dry as well. Blomster toed the rubber, knowing what was on the line, and rose to the occasion. Mines' junior righty put up back-to-back shutout innings to start the game. The Orediggers offense contributed two runs to the effort in the top of the second frame thanks to a sacrifice-fly from
Trevor Howard and a passed ball that allowed
John Howard to cross the plate.
UCCS scratched back with a sacrifice fly of its own, coming in the bottom of the third inning, and a solo home run in the bottom of the fifth stanza. However, Mines refused to be swept on the day. Gangwish stepped to the plate in the top of the seventh inning with one out and hit a one-ball, one-strike pitch over the left field fence for an opposite-field, go-ahead home run. That would be all Blomster needed as he struck out a batter and then shrugged off an error to close out the 3-2 win.
NOTABLES
- Mines is now 8-4 in the all-time series against UCCS.
- Blomster's 22 wins breaks a program record that has stood since Gary Womack won 21 games from 1987-1991 – nearly 28 years.
- Blomster's 22 wins are also tied for #7 in RMAC history. Only seven other players have more career victories in the history of the conference.
- Additionally, Blomster is 8-2 this season which ranks #2 on the Orediggers' single-season wins chart. Blomster set the program's single-season wins record last season with nine.
- Popp's double gives the senior 37 in his career which is tied for #9 on Mines' all-time list.
- Gangwish has reached base safely in 32 straight games and continues to build his lead as the Orediggers' all-time home run king with 39 in his career.
- Gangwish's 39 career home runs rank #4 in RMAC history. Only three other players have hit more home runs in the 100-plus year history of the league.
- The Orediggers are 31-4 in 2019 when scoring three runs or more in game.
- Saturday's split gives Mines three straight seasons with more than 30 wins. The first such streak in program history.
- Head coach
Robby Bales is 31-11 in his first season at the helm.
WHAT'S NEXT
Mines and UCCS close their series Sunday at 12 p.m. at Mountain Lion Park in Colorado Springs. 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.
