GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. – The Colorado School of Mines Baseball team opened the 2019 NCAA Tournament on Thursday night in undefeated fashion with a 5-4 win over fifth-seeded West Texas A&M at Sam Suplizio Field.
 
In a game chalk full of highlights, Jace Selsor led the Orediggers by batting .600 with two runs on three hits, all of which were doubles. Mikey Gangwish posted a team-high .667 batting average while recording two runs on two hits with one RBI. Trevor Kehe notched three hits as well, batting .600 with one run, one RBI and one triple. It should also be noted that Trevor Howard came off the bench and went 1-for-1 with one RBI. Gabe Garvens joined the extra-base hits category by smacking a triple.  
 
Walter Pennington (10-3) took the mound as Mines' starting pitcher and spun six innings of three-run, seven-hit baseball while striking out five batters. Garvens (6) moved from second base to the bump and pitched his way to the save behind two innings of one-run, one-hit work. Garvens also struck out one batter while Owen Pigati bridged the gap with one inning of flawless relief fueled by two strikeouts.
 
Thursday's victory gives Mines (40-14) its first-ever, 40-win season. The Orediggers batted .353 as a team and slugged .559 thanks to three doubles and two triples. Mines' pitching staff teamed up for eight strikeouts and held opposing hitters to a batting average of .235. West Texas A&M (41-11) fanned 16 Oredigger batters and notched three doubles but only slugged .324. Additionally, Mines overcame three fielding errors to get the win.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The game opened with Pennington working three ground balls and three outs to overcome a walk for a zero on the scoreboard. Then, the Orediggers did what've they've been doing all season. For the 39th time in 2019, Mines got on the scoreboard first thanks to two runs on four hits in the bottom of the first inning. Selsor fueled the surge with a lead-off double while Gangwish, Popp and Daly all notched base knocks as well. Selsor and Gangwish scored. Daly and Gangwish accounted for the RBI.
 
In the top of the second inning, Pennington settled in for two strikeouts and a ground ball to Caden Bonds at shortstop. Pennington's two whiffs to start the inning ended up offsetting a WTAMU double. Mines added to its lead in the bottom half with a two-out run. Selsor surged to 2-for-2 on the night with his second double and Kehe drove his teammate in with a triple misjudged by the Buffs' right fielder.
 
The Orediggers' 3-0 lead would not last long. West Texas A&M rallied for three runs on four hits in the top of the third inning to tie the game at 3-3. However, that would be the only Buffs' runs for the next four frames. Pennington proved resilient in the fourth frame as runner reached second base and third base with no outs, but a ground ball and two strikeouts kept WTAMU off the board. The junior lefty carried that momentum into the fifth inning by striking out the final batter of the frame.
 
With the score tied 3-3 headed into the bottom of the fifth stanza, Kehe and Gangwish notched back-to-back, one-out hits with Kehe racing from first base to third base, putting Orediggers on the corners with only one out. Gangwish then initiated a delayed double steal, drawing a throw from West Texas A&M to second base which allowed Kehe to score and put Mines ahead, 4-3. Pennington showed his appreciation for the one-run lead with another shutout performance in the sixth inning, despite the Buffs putting runners on second and third with one out.
 
Pigati took the mound in the top of the seventh and came up in a big way for the Orediggers. His first pitch turned into a fly ball to Kehe in center field. Then, the senior righty caught two WTAMU batters looking to preserve Mines' 4-3 lead and another zero on the scoreboard. In the bottom half of the same inning, Trevor Howard produced what ended up being the biggest run of the game. Gangwish was hit by a pitch while Popp and Daly both worked walks to load the bases. Trevor Howard stepped to the plate and laced a RBI single to right field, giving the top seed a 5-3 lead.
 
Mines' extra run proved critical as West Texas A&M scratched out one run in the top of the eighth frame. However, the comeback victory was not meant to be. The top of the ninth inning saw Garvens on the mound. After scoring the Orediggers fifth run of the game, Trevor Howard proceeded to flash the leather for the first out of the frame, racing down a fly ball to right-center field that would have turned into extra bases for the Buffs. Popp charged in to catch a shallow fly ball for the second out. Daly capped it off by diving for a ground ball to third base, knocking it down and rifling it to first to clinch the win.
 
NOTABLES
- Mines' all-time record in the NCAA Tournament is now 3-2.
- The Orediggers are also guaranteed to break the program record for games played in one season as they have played 54 with at least two remaining in 2019.
- Pennington became Mines' second-ever, 10-win pitcher with his win over West Texas A&M.
- Both of the Orediggers' 10-game winners have come this season thanks to Tyler Blomster's 10-2 record.
- Selsor has now hit three doubles in three different games this season which are all tied for Mines' single-game doubles record.
- Kehe's three hits against WTAMU tie the redshirt junior for #1 on the Orediggers' single-season hits list. He is tied with himself for the most hits in one season.
- Pennington is now tied for third on Mines' all-time strikeouts list with 192 in his career.
- Selsor's six total bases on Thursday night bring the senior to 435 in his career which ranks #1 at Mines and #3 all-time in the RMAC.
- Pennington's six innings of work in the NCAA Tournament opener makes him the Orediggers' all-time leader for innings pitched in a single season with 92.1.
- Garvens now has 11 saves in his career at Mines.
- Gangwish has reached base safely in 43 consecutive games.
- Head coach Robby Bales is 40-14 in his first season at the helm.
 
WHAT'S NEXT
Mines is guaranteed to play Colorado Mesa at 4 p.m. on Friday at Sam Suplizio Field. The game will either be an elimination game for the top-seeded Mavericks or the start of a best-of-three game series between the RMAC foes. Live stats and video of the game 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.