HAYS, Kan. – The Colorado School of Mines Baseball team opened the 2022 season on Saturday afternoon with a runaway, 13-4 win against Fort Hays State at Larks Park.
 
Mines found production up and down the lineup with I-Ly Hsue, Luke Folsom, Toby Scoles, Keene Tanaka and Alex Bumpus all hitting .500, or better, with multiple hits. In the leadoff spot, Hsue went 3-for-6 with one run and two RBI while also hitting a solo home run. Folsom also went long as part of his 2-for-4 day including two runs and three RBI. Scoles batted seventh in the lineup and walked away 3-for-5 while scoring two runs and driving in one more. Tanaka and Bumpus filled the eighth and ninth spots in the order and combined for five hits in eight at-bats with four total runs and five RBI. Bumpus also accounted for the Orediggers' first home run of the season.
 
On the mound, Kevin Zapanta (1-0) started for the visitors and spun 6.1 innings of three-run, four hit baseball while striking out six batters and walking just two on his way to the victory. Jackson Bakovich and Rodney Gregg both appeared in relief. Gregg tossed the final two frames and produced a 0.00 ERA on one hit allowed with one strikeout. Conner Kessler of Fort Hays State took the loss for the Tigers.
 
The Orediggers (1-0) earned the win by slugging .642 as a team thanks to three doubles and three home runs. Defensively, Mines limited Fort Hays State (0-1) to .250 hitting at the plate and only one hit for extra bases. Each team turned two double plays in the field. Capping the Orediggers' defensive performance was a clean sheet with no errors while FHSU committed three errors which allowed Mines to scored three unearned runs.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
It was a leadoff single by Folsom in the second that keyed the first of two big frames for Mines. A wild pitch put Folsom on second. Brady Veltien worked a walk. Bonds sacrificed himself to move the runners over and Scoles delivered a RBI-double that put the Orediggers on the board. After that, Fort Hays State miscues allowed the visitors to tack on three more runs and take a 4-0 lead after two complete innings.
 
The second outburst came in the fourth inning and it was all Orediggers. Back-to-back, one-out singles from Tanaka and Scoles set the table for Bumpus' three-run home run which extended Mines' lead to 7-0. Hsue made it back-to-back jacks with his solo shot making it 8-0. Then, Wayne Moeck's walk and Danny McDermott's single cued up another three-run home run; this time from Folsom. Seven hits and seven runs later, the Tigers closed the top of the inning facing an 11-0 deficit, and Mines' insurance runs in the fifth and ninth didn't make things any easier.
 
As the Oredigger offense ran its power plant, presumably on sustainable, green energy, Zapanta orchestrated the defense. He allowed just two hits through five innings and only gave up one run on one hit in the sixth. That marked the end of the shutout, but Zapanta returned for the seventh and struck out one more batter before handing the ball over to Bakovich. Mines' reliever immediately struck out another tiger before a walk and a pair of hits allowed two more runs for the home team, but that would be all the scoring FHSU could produce. Gregg worked a double play and strikeout in the eighth before a fly ball and two ground-outs sealed the deal in the bottom of the ninth.  
 
NOTABLES
- Saturday marked Mines' 16th win in the all-time series against Fort Hays State as the Orediggers sit 4-1 over their last five meetings with the Tigers.
- Zapanta's win on the mound marked the second of his career in just his fourth start.
- Folsom has reached base in 18 consecutive games and also boasts a seven-game hitting streak dating back to 2022. His home run was the fourth of his career as a sophomore.
- Hsue also hit the fourth home run of his career on Saturday.
- Bumpus' home run, along with being the first of the season for Mines, was just second of his career.
- Hsue, Scoles and Bumpus all notched doubles as well.
- All nine of Mines' starting hitters scored at least one run.
- Redshirt freshman Mason Andrews made his collegiate debut and stole one base as a pinch-hitter eventually moving to play in left field.
- The Orediggers are now 2-2 on opening day with Robby Bales as head coach.
- Coach Bales is 61-39 in his fourth year as head coach for the Orediggers.
 
WHAT'S NEXT
Mines continues its series at Fort Hays State with a doubleheader on Sunday starting at 12 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.