GOLDEN, Colo. – The Colorado School of Mines Baseball team celebrated Senior Day on Saturday and the departing class delivered with an 8-5, 11-4 doubleheader sweep of UCCS at Jim Darden Field.
 
The five honorees included Trevor Howard, Drew Hill, Gabe Garvens, Jason Hall and Chris Okamoto. That group combined to go 9-for-16 at the plate while touting a total of eight runs and 10 RBI on two doubles and three home runs over the two games. True freshman Luke Folsom honored his elders appropriately by batting .625. Folsom also scored three runs and notched four RBI on two doubles, one triple and one home run. Fellow freshman scored three runs as well. Pitchers Kevin Zapanta (1-0) and Rodney Gregg (1-1) earned the victories. Zapanta tossed 5.0 innings of three-run, seven-hit baseball after making the start. Gregg hurled 5.2 innings of shutout relief while striking out five batters. Ben Schoneman was the other starter and Adam Houghtaling came out of the bullpen.
 
With the sweep, the Orediggers (9-18, 9-18 RMAC) clinched at least a series split with the Mountain Lions (24-9, 20-9 RMAC) who were previously riding an 11-game win streak. Mines finished the day hitting .370 as a team while racking up six doubles one triple and four home runs. The Oredigger pitching staff combined for 14 strikeouts and held UCCS batters to .263 at the plate and just five hits for extra bases. Additionally, Mines tallied four stolen bases on five attempts while limiting UCCS to zero swipes.
 
GAME ONE: Mines 8, UCCS 5
Saturday's opener saw the Orediggers ride the adrenaline of Senior Day out to a 7-2 lead through three innings. Okamoto started the party in the second frame with an RBI single through the right side that brought Hall in to score. Howard was the very next hitter and cleared the bases thanks to a three-run home run over the left-field fence. Folsom drove in Moeck on a triple down the right-field line to make it 5-0 in favor of the home team.
 
While UCCS plated two runs in the top of the third, Mines' momentum continued in to the next frame with a solo home run from Hall and another RBI off the bat of Okamoto. The next run of the game came in the fourth inning to make it three straight frames of scoring for the Orediggers. It was Folsom again, smacking a double down the line and bringing Moeck across for a second time. Mines' eight runs would withstand the Mountain Lions' final push which included one run in the fifth and two in the top of the seventh. Houghtaling finished the Oredigger victory himself with a soft groundball back to the mound.
 
GAME TWO: Mines 11, UCCS 4
The second game of the day looked to be a high scoring affair early with five runs in the opening frame. Walks and a hit batter allowed UCCS to plate two. Mines continued barreling the ball and racked up three runs thanks to a Danny McDermott double followed by his attempted steal in the bottom of the first inning. That led to another two runs for the visitors and a 4-3 lead. However, Mountain Lion miscues in the home half of the second allowed the Orediggers to tie the game before Folsom blew it open on a two-run home run to center field.
 
Mines grabbed the 7-4 lead and did not look back. With Gregg on the mound, the Orediggers proceeded to shutout UCCS for the final five innings while racking up four more runs. Garvens accounted for three of those four runs thanks to his solo home run in the third and a two-run double in the fifth. Hall also drove in Folsom in the fifth.  Gregg closed it out with strikeouts in the fifth and sixth while his defense did the rest to clinch the sweep.
 
NOTABLES
- Mines is 11-7 in the all-time series against UCCS.
- Garvens finished the doubleheader hitting .750 with two runs and three RBI on one double and one home run. It marked his third home run of the season and sixth of his career.
- Okamoto's Senior Day resume featured a .667 average with one run and two RBI. He's now hitting .571 on the season and .476 in his career.
- Hall batted .500 on the day while scoring three runs and driving in two more. He also hit his third home run of the season and eighth of his career.
- Howard's home run was his first of the season and 10th of his career as he hit .400 in the doubleheader and scored two runs with three RBI and a double.
- Drew Hill – one of Mines' starting pitchers – was not put out on the day.
- Folsom's 5-for-8 day has him hitting .320 on the season while leading the Orediggers with 18 runs scored. He also boasts 19 RBI.
- Zapanta and Gregg both earned the first pitching win of their respective careers.
- Head Coach Robby Bales is 61-38 in his third year as head coach for the Orediggers.
 
WHAT'S NEXT
Mines looks to close its series with UCCS on Sunday at 12 p.m. However, inclement weather may result in postponing the game. All updates will be posted on www.minesathletics.com and on Twitter at @MinesAthletics.
 
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.