GOLDEN, Colo. – Oredigger outfielders Alex Bumpus and Toby Scoles hit home runs for the Colorado School of Mines Baseball team on Friday night, but it was not enough in a 14-6 loss to UCCS at Jim Darden Field.
 
Bumpus' long ball helped him finish 1-for-1 on the night with two runs and two RBI off the bench. Scoles was 1-for-4 at the plate with his home run marking his only hit. However, the Orediggers' biggest production came from a trio of true freshmen. Wayne Moeck, Luke Folsom and Brady Veltien combined for a 9-for-14 effort at the plate including two total runs and one RBI. Keene Tanaka also added a double. On defense, Brayden Weyer (2-2) made the start and wore the loss on the mound. Zachary Kriethe added three innings of relief while Gavan Blackburn proved impressive with 2.0 innings of one-hit, shutout baseball.
 
Mines (7-18, 7-18 RMAC) racked up 13 hits as a team, but left 12 runners on base. On the other side, UCCS (24-7, 20-17 RMAC) produced 18 knocks including three home runs while stealing three bases. The Orediggers' pitching staff only walked three Mountain Lion batters, and Mines' defense committed just one error. Meanwhile, UCCS overcame six walks from its pitching staff with 10 strikeouts and a clean sheet on defense.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The entirety of the first frame resulted in five combined runs on nine total hits with one error. In the top half, UCCS used a RBI double and two-run home run to claim a 3-0 lead. Mines responded in the bottom half by way of Scoles' leadoff home run on the third pitch of the game. The Orediggers proceeded to load the bases after Scoles' shot but only managed one more run on a Veltien infield single. All that offense led to a scoreless second inning before the visitors started to pull away.
 
Mines watched UCCS score four runs in the third, two in the fourth and three in the fifth while the Orediggers' offense managed just one run during that same span. The result was a 12-3 lead for the Mountain Lions. Two more visiting runs in the seventh made it 14-3 before the home squad made one last push. Bonds smacked a sacrifice fly to right field and plated Bumpus in the bottom of the seventh. Then, Bumpus went long over the left-field fence with Folsom on base to make it 14-6 in the eighth and that would result in the final tally.
 
NOTABLES
- Mines is now 9-7 in the all-time series against UCCS.
- Friday was the first time the Mountain Lions have played at Darden Field since their inaugural season in 2017.
- Bumpus' home run marked the first of his career as an Oredigger.
- Scoles' long ball was his second of the season and sixth of his career.
- Tanaka's double marked his first extra-base hit at Mines.
- Both teams combined to use a total of 38 players in Friday night's series opener.
- Head Coach Robby Bales is 59-39 in his third year as head coach for the Orediggers.
 
WHAT'S NEXT
Mines and UCCS continue their series on Saturday with a doubleheader at 12 p.m. Senior Day festivities will begin on the RMAC Network at 11:45 a.m. No spectators are allowed into the facility but live video and stats will be offered at www.minesathletics.com.
 
Fans can follow Mines baseball on Twitter at @OrediggersBSB. They can also follow all of Mines Athletics on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at @MinesAthletics, and online at www.minesathletics.com.