PUEBLO, Colo. – The Colorado School of Mines Baseball team nearly erased a 7-1 deficit against CSU Pueblo on Friday, but couldn't complete the comeback in a 9-7 loss to "The Pack" at Rawlings Field.
Luke Folsom carried the big bat on offense as he went 2-for-4 with a double and two RBI.
I-Ly Hsue filled the role of leadoff hitter by scoring three times on two hits.
Toby Scoles turned in an efficient 3-for-4 day while scoring one run and notching one RBI.
Danny McDermott,
Caden Bonds,
Brady Veltien all recorded multiple hits and came across the plate as well. McDermott and Veltien rounded out the offensive stat sheet with one RBI apiece. Pitchers for the Orediggers included starter
Ben Schoneman (0-2) who took the loss,
Rodney Gregg and
Marcus Lee. The later highlighted Mines' day on the mound thanks to 2.2 innings of three-hit, shutout relief. Schoneman surrendered five runs in 2.1 innings and Gregg gave up two runs in 3.0 innings.
As a team, Mines (14-7, 3-6 RMAC) tallied 14 hits including three doubles for a combined batting average of .378. However, CSU Pueblo (14-9, 7-2) produced 17 hits with two doubles, two triples and two home runs to hit .425. The Orediggers suffered through two fielding errors which resulted in two unearned runs. The ThunderWolves committed one error in the field and one passed ball that allowed Mines to plate two unearned runs as well. Overall, the two sides only totaled two walks in eight and a half innings. Tim McIntyre (5-0) claimed the win for "The Pack" and Frank Wierman notched his third save of the season.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Even while Thursday brought notable snowfall to Golden – enough to move Mines' softball series south to UCCS – Friday provided a quality day for baseball in Pueblo, and the visitors landed the first punch in the 16-run affair. It came after Hsue led off the game with a single and stole second base before McDermott drove him in with an RBI single. CSU Pueblo answered immediately by scoring seven runs on seven hits through its first two frames at the plate. That left the Orediggers looking up at a 7-1 deficit with just two innings in the books.
Mines grabbed one run back in the top of the third inning after Hsue was hit by a pitch, moved to second on
Alex Bumpus' sacrifice bunt, advanced to third on a passed ball and touched the plate thanks to Folsom's sacrifice fly. Then, both defenses locked in for scoreless frames in the fourth and fifth. It was the sixth inning when the Orediggers put together their full onslaught. Four runs on five hits cut the visitors' deficit to 7-6. McDermott, Bonds, Veltien and Scoles all touched the plate. Folsom, McDermott, Bonds, Veltien and Scoles notched hits. Veltien and Scoles nabbed the available RBI while McDermott scored on a balk and Scoles crossed on a ThunderWolves error. Unfortunately for the Orediggers, "The Pack" added two key runs in the bottom of the sixth which canceled out Folsom's RBI scoring Hsue in the top of the seventh and made the final tally.
NOTABLES
- Despite Friday's loss, Mines remains 6-4 over its last 10 meetings with CSU Pueblo. The ThunderWolves also remain tied with Colorado Mesa for #1 in the RMAC standings.
- With their doubles against "The Pack", Folsom, Bonds and Scoles are all tied for the team lead with six doubles apiece in 2022.
- Hsue's trio of runs boosted him to the team lead at 17 runs on the year.
- Lee dropped his season ERA to 3.72 after his 2.2 innings of scoreless relief on Friday and Gregg remained at 2.45 ERA in six 2022 appearances.
- Folsom is tops for Mines with nine multi-hit games this season.
- Coach Bales holds an overall record of 76-48 in his fourth season as the head coach at Mines.
WHAT'S NEXT
The Orediggers continue their series at CSU Pueblo on Saturday with a doubleheader at 12 p.m. at Rawlings Field. Live stats and video 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.
