GOLDEN, Colo. – A come-from-behind, 6-5 victory in game one of Monday's doubleheader at
Jim Darden Field helped the Colorado School of Mines Baseball team split its four-game series with #5 Colorado Mesa as the Orediggers went 1-1 in the twin bill.
Luke Folsom powered the offense with a 4-for-4 outing in game one of the day and hit .667 through two games. He finished with two runs and one RBI thanks to a pair of doubles.
I-Ly Hsue notched multiple hits as well and scored twice.
Mason Andrews smacked a home run.
Caden Bonds and
Danny McDermott rounded out the offensive production with two RBI apiece.
Marcus Lee (1-1) was the winning pitcher thanks to 3.0 innings of five-hit relief featuring just one unearned run.
Tyler Blomster earned the save as he came out of the bullpen for 2.0 innings of nearly flawless relief.
Brayden Weyer was the game-one starter and did not factor in the decision but produced six strikeouts in 4.0 innings of work.
Luke Folsom (0-1) started game two and took the loss.
Nash Neff and
Zachary Kriethe also appeared in relief and combined for a 0.00 ERA, giving up just two hits and one walk.
Mines (14-6, 3-5 RMAC) finished the day hitting .189 as a team after Kannon Handy of Colorado Mesa (15-5, 6-2 RMAC) spun a no-hitter in the series finale. The Orediggers' final line from the doubleheader featured three doubles and one home run while the Mavericks smacked five doubles and two home runs which helped CMU hit .273 as a team. Mines' pitching staff finished the day boasting a 3.94 ERA and 17 strikeouts compared to Mesa's 3.60 ERA and 14 strikeouts. There were only seven total walks issued over the course of 16 innings.
GAME ONE: Mines 6, #5 Colorado Mesa 5
The Orediggers started the game hot like fire. Hsue led off the bottom of the first with an infield single. Folsom moved him to third with a one-out double. Then,
Danny McDermott made it back-to-back doubles and a 2-0 lead for Mines. Colorado Mesa responded with three unanswered runs in the second and third frames and claimed a 3-2 advantage. The Mavericks made it 4-2 in the top of the fourth with back-to-back doubles of their own. It was Andrews clapping back for the home team in the bottom of the fourth inning with his two-out, solo home run which pulled Mines back within one run at 4-3.
The last half of the game was a true dog fight. The Orediggers reclaimed their lead in the bottom of the fifth inning on a two-run single off the bat of Bonds which scored Folsom and
Wayne Moeck. In the top of the sixth inning, a two-out error allowed CMU to tie the game at 5-5. Finally, in the seventh, Mines took the lead for good. Hsue led off with another infield single, Moeck walked and Folsom came through by smacking a single up the middle on a two-ball, two-strike count. That plated Hsue and afforded the Orediggers the 6-5 lead. At that point, Blomster strode out of the bullpen and struck out the first two batters he faced on the way to a save appearance that featured zero runs, zero walks, zero hit batters and one single. Moeck contributed a game-saving catch in center field in the top of the ninth to aid the process.
GAME TWO: #5 Colorado Mesa 4, Mines 0
In the series finale, it was all Mavericks. Even though the Orediggers barreled multiple balls that could have gone for extra bases, the CMU defense was there and kept the home team in check. Two home runs and a RBI single gave the visitors the offense they needed to support Handy's no-hit bid. If not for a two-out walk to Folsom in the final inning, the lefty would have completed a perfect game.
NOTABLES
- With the win on Monday, Mines has officially handed Colorado Mesa as many conference losses (2) as the Mavericks had in all of 2021.
- Andrews' home run marked his fourth of the season and his career, but his first at
Jim Darden Field. He currently leads the Orediggers in long balls.
- Blomster's save was his first of the season and third of his career after tallying two in 2019. He has yet to surrender an earned run or a hit for extra bases in 2022.
- In eight appearances in 2022, Kriethe is 1-1 with two saves while touting a 1.76 ERA and a 0.59 WHIP behind 15 strikeouts in 15.1 innings of work.
- Handy's no-hitter was CMU's first since 2006. That one also came against Mines. Handy recorded six strikeouts in seven innings.
- Coach Bales holds an overall record of 76-47 in his fourth season as the head coach at Mines.
WHAT'S NEXT
The Orediggers head to CSU Pueblo for a four-game series next Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Live stats and video of all four games 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.
