GOLDEN, Colo. – The Colorado School of Mines Baseball team combined to hit six home runs on Sunday afternoon which helped the Orediggers split their doubleheader with #5 Colorado Mesa as the Mavericks took game one, 12-6, while Mines won game two, 6-4.
 
Danny McDermott boasted the most power with two home runs on the day. He finished the twin bill hitting .286 but slugging 1.143 while scoring twice and driving in three runs. Adam Houghtaling came off the bench in game one and started game two. He finished the day touting a .750 batting average which fueled two runs on three hits including one double and one home run with two RBI. Toby Scoles went long as well while hitting .667 across two starts in right field. Scoles also scored three times and notched one RBI. Caden Bonds and I-Ly Hsue accounted for Mines' other two home runs. That duo combined for three runs on four hits with three RBI.
 
On the mound, Ben Schoneman started game one but didn't factor in the decision after tossing 6.0 innings of six-hit, three-run baseball including two strikeouts and one walk. Blake Ripp (2-1) took the loss for Mines in the opener after 2.0 innings of relief. Kevin Zapanta (4-1) started and one game two by grinding out 6.0 innings of five-hit, four-run work. Zapanta struck out five batters and walked two. Zachary Kriethe helped Zapanta out with the save. Kriethe earned his second save of the season by walking one before striking out three straight batters. Jackson Bakovich also pitched in relief.
 
Mines (13-5, 2-4 RMAC) and Colorado Mesa (14-4, 5-1 RMAC) produced identical team batting averages of .328 for the day. The Mavericks finished the doubleheader slugging .552 as a team thanks to three doubles and four home runs. The Orediggers offset that with one double and six home runs for a .625 slugging percentage. Part of Mines' struggles in the opener resulted from three fielding errors, but the Orediggers bounced back with a clean sheet in game two. Colorado Mesa committed one error in each game. Both teams' pitching staffs combined for 30 strikeouts compared to eight total walks on the day.
 
GAME ONE: #5 Colorado Mesa 12, Mines 6
Mostly clear skies and warm sunshine welcomed the Orediggers back to Jim Darden Field for their first home game in over 300 days. Furthermore, it was Colorado Mesa's first trip to Golden, Colo., in nearly four years. Mines hung with the highly ranked Mavericks through six innings thanks to home runs from Scoles and McDermott. Those solo shots combined with Bonds scoring on a wild pitch while Bumpus and Hsue drove in Scoles and Keene Tanaka helped the Orediggers to a 5-3 score after six innings of action.
 
However, Mines committed a two-out error in the top of the seventh that allowed CMU to tie the game. Then the Mavericks exploded for seven runs in the last two innings. The only Oredigger answer was Bonds' two-out home run after a double play in the bottom of the eighth. Scoles' leadoff walk and Bumpus' infield single marked Mines' last hurrah in the bottom of the ninth as Mesa closed out the 12-6 win.
 
GAME TWO: Mines 6, #5 Colorado Mesa 4
The story of the second game of the day was one big inning from the Mavericks and late power from the Orediggers. Colorado Mesa scored four, two-out runs in the top of the third, inning including a three-run home run, to take a 4-0 lead. But as CMU seemingly rested on its laurels, Mines continued to grind at the plate. Hsue wasted no time starting the home team's methodical rally by smacking a two-out solo home run in the bottom of the third frame. Houghtaling helped the cause in the bottom of the fifth by leading off with a double and then scoring on another infield single from Bumpus. That made the score 4-2.
 
In the sixth inning, the Orediggers plugged in to the Darden Field power plant and completed the comeback. Folsom's leadoff single set the table for McDermott's two-run, home run to straightaway center field, marking his second tank of the day while tying the score at 4-4. Then, Scoles poked a one-out, Texas-league single to center field and allowed Houghtaling to take the main stage. The second-year Oredigger who arrived at Mines by way of San Jacinto College in Texas stepped to the plate, swung and missed one pitch and then smacked a two-run, go-ahead home run to one of the deepest parts of Jim Darden Field. Even though offense was grabbing the attention, it was the Oredigger defense providing the baseline. Five total shutout innings by Zapanta and the home defense set up the seventh inning for Kriethe. He came out of the bullpen, walked the first batter and then struck out three straight Mavericks to clinch the 6-4 win.
 
NOTABLES
- Mines' game-two victory on Sunday snapped an 18-game losing streak against Colorado Mesa. Only four of the 18 CMU wins came in Golden.
- Friday marked the Orediggers' first win over the Mavericks since April 27, 2018.
- Scoles' big day was highlighted by a 3-for-3 performance in game one which included two runs and one RBI with one home run.
- Houghtaling's game-winning home run in the second contest helped him complete a 3-for-3, two-run, two-RBI outing.
- For the season, Hsue and McDermott tout three home runs apiece, Houghtaling and Bonds both have two long balls and Scoles' Sunday bomb was his first of the year.
- McDermott now has 17 home runs in his career, putting him #12 on Mines' all-time list.
- Zapanta's five strikeouts against Colorado Mesa on Sunday push him to 26 for the season, just three behind Oredigger ace Tyler Blomster.
- In seven appearances in 2022, Kriethe is 1-1 with two saves while touting a 1.98 ERA and a 0.59 WHIP behind 14 strikeouts in 13.2 innings of work.
- Coach Bales holds an overall record of 75-46 in his fourth season as the head coach at Mines.
 
WHAT'S NEXT
The Orediggers close their series against Colorado Mesa on Monday with a doubleheader starting at 12 p.m. at Jim Darden Field. Fans are reminded that parking is enforced at Mines during the week between the hours of 9-5. Live stats and video of the game will be linked 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.