CLAREMORE, Okla. – The Colorado School of Mines Baseball team clicked on all cylinders Friday afternoon as the Orediggers swept their doubleheader at Rogers State by scores of 5-2 and 13-3.
 
Luke Folsom led Mines' high powered offense by hitting .714 through both games which resulted in five runs on five hits including one home run and three RBI. Brady Veltien also proved big at the plate as he finished the day hitting .500 with three runs on two hits and two RBI. Taylor White and Mason Andrews joined Folsom's long ball party with Andrews producing two home runs in the second game alone. His final line featured two runs on three hits with two home runs and four RBI in just one game. Also notable was Danny McDermott scoring twice and Caden Bonds adding three RBI.
 
Kevin Zapanta (2-0) started game one on the mound for the Orediggers and earned the win behind 5.0 innings of work. He surrendered just two runs on seven hits while striking out four and walking zero. Folsom started game two but did not factor in the decision despite 4.0 innings of two-run, seven-hit baseball. He struck out three and walked none as well. Brayden Weyer (1-0) earned the game-two victory by providing 4.0 innings of one-run, two-hit relief while fanning six and walking one. Zachary Kriethe, Nash Neff and Rodney Gregg all appeared out of the bullpen as well. That trio combined to surrender zero runs on one hit with five strikeouts and one walk.
 
Mines (6-0) finished the doubleheader with an overall batting average of .382 including four doubles and four home runs between the two games. Rogers State (0-4) did hit .270 as a team but only managed four hits for extra bases over the course of 16 innings. The Oredigger pitching staff combined to post a 2.81 earned-run average while the Oredigger hitters put a 10.12 ERA on the Hillcats' hurlers. Both teams committed one fielding error each while Mines' pitchers struck out 18 batters and RSU's staff struck out 17 batters. Also notable were five stolen bases for the visiting Orediggers.
 
GAME ONE: Mines 5, Rogers State 2
There were no runs to be found in the first inning. After that, the Orediggers did what they do best and engineered them. Mines opened the scoring with two runs in the top of the second inning thanks to a sacrifice fly by Caden Bonds that scored Veltien and an attempted double steal which allowed Scoles to find home plate. However, Rogers State canceled out the crooked number with two runs of its own in the bottom half of the same inning on one triple, one double and one single. Then, from the third frame to the fifth frame, the Orediggers racked up three unanswered runs.
 
Singles from Moeck, Folsom and Veltien plus a pair of stolen bases by the former helped Mines retake the lead at 4-2 in the top of the third inning. Veltien capped it for the visitors in the top of the fifth with a RBI-single to right center that plated McDermott. That was all the Orediggers needed as Zapanta and the defense shut the Hillcats down in the third, fourth and fifth innings. Gregg appeared briefly in the sixth before Kriethe took over and clinched the win with the save. The victory came on just one hit for extra bases and a .296 average as a team after Mines racked up nine home runs on opening weekend.
 
GAME TWO: Mines 13, Rogers State 3
Another scoreless first inning for the Orediggers was simply an impolite red herring that provided the hosting Hillcats a sense of false hope. After the opening frame, Mines unleased three runs in the second, one in the third, two in the fourth and five more in the fifth. Rogers State finally put up a zero on defense in the top of the sixth, but at that point it was 11-2 in favor of the visitors. Powering the charge were two home runs from Andrews and another from White. McDermott and Bonds added doubles to the party as well. The offensive production provided a cushion for Folsom to pitch through four full innings before Weyer came in from the bullpen. He picked up the proverbial torch of momentum and struck out five RSU batters through his first two innings of relief.
 
Meanwhile, the Orediggers reopened their personal power plant. Folsom, who had remained in the game as a designated hitter, started the seventh inning with a leadoff, solo home run and extended Mines' lead to 12-2. However, Rogers State avoided the run-rule loss by scoring its third run of the game in the bottom of the seventh on a hit batter, wild pitch and ground ball. While it kept the Hillcats from the mercy rule, it didn't prevent the home team from losing by 10 runs. Mines expanded the margin one more time in the top of the ninth inning making it 13-3. Neff pitched the ninth with minimal incident as he sandwiched one walk with three strikeouts.
 
NOTABLES
- Mines is now 2-0 in the all-time series against Rogers State as Friday marked the debut of the rivalry on the baseball field.
- The Orediggers are 6-0 for the first time in two decades after starting 8-0 in 2002 before finishing 22-31.
- Andrews' two home runs were the first of his career. He is the only Oredigger with multiple home runs in one game so far this season.
- Folsom's long ball was his second of the season and fifth of his career while White added his second dinger in a Mines uniform.
- Additionally, White's line from just one game on the day included a .667 average while slugging 1.667 with one run and three RBI.
- Folsom accounted for three of Mines' five stolen bases – going 3-for-3 on the base paths. He also boats an active four-game hitting streak.
- Jack Walton and Chandler Cole both made their collegiate baseball debuts on Friday. Walton went 1-for-1 with a single. Cole recorded one at-bat as well.
- Danny McDermott, Veltien and Moeck have all reached base safely in all six of the Oredigger games in 2022.
- Coach Bales holds an overall record of 65-39 in his fourth season as the head coach at Mines.
 
WHAT'S NEXT
Mines continues the series at Rogers State on Saturday with a single game at 1 p.m. (CT). Live stats and pay-per-view video 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.