GOLDEN, Colo. – Two impressive performances out of the Colorado School of Mines bullpen set the stage for Oredigger baseball's comeback, 5-4 victory against Colorado Christian on Sunday as Mines clinched the series with CCU at Jim Darden Field.
 
Zachary Kriethe (2-2) was the winning pitcher on the backend thanks to 2.1 innings of shutout relief. Kriethe surrendered just one hit with zero walks and one strikeout. Blake Ripp provided the setup for Kriethe on 4.2 scoreless innings out of the bullpen. Ripp's final line featured zero runs on four hits and zero walks with one strikeout. Luke Folsom was the starting pitcher but did not factor in the decision as he departed after 2.0 innings and slotted in at designated hitter. Providing the keys on offense were I-Ly Hsue, Toby Scoles, Danny McDermott, Caden Bonds and Adam Houghtaling. Hsue notched a double and two RBI including the game-winner. Scoles drove in a run as well. McDermott went 2-for-4 and added the game-tying RBI. Bonds was 1-for-2 while scoring twice. Houghtaling rounded it out with a 1-for-2, solo home run performance. Also notable were doubles from Wayne Moeck and Folsom with the later leading to the game-tying run.
 
As a team, the Orediggers (18-10, 7-9 RMAC) roared back to hit .312 for the game after starting the contest 3-for-14 at the plate. Colorado Christian (7-17, 5-7 RMAC) notched its four runs on 10 hits including two home runs. Even though the two teams tied in the hits column, Mines drew four walks and the Oredigger pitching staff handed out zero bases on balls. Only one error was committed through nine innings and it came from the home team, but did not result in any unearned runs. The victory pushes Mines to #5 in the conference standings and the loss drops CCU into a tie for #6.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The early outlook proved bleak for Oredigger nation after Colorado Christian exploded for four runs on four hits including two home runs in the second inning. That outburst chased Folsom from the mound after two full innings and forced Mines to turn to its bullpen. Ripp was the first man up and he did not disappoint. He gave up single hits in the third, fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh innings while successfully tossing CCU zeroes on the scoreboard thanks to his defense. And while it took the home offense a while to heat up, the Orediggers eventually got the job done.
 
Mines started its rally in the bottom of the fifth inning by loading the bases with one out. Hsue delivered a sacrifice fly to center field which plated Bonds. Then, Scoles shot a two-out single up the middle and drove in Bumpus to cut the Oredigger deficit to 4-2. The rally continued in the bottom of the seventh inning with Houghtaling's pinch-hit, leadoff home run. Later in the frame, Folsom sent a two-out double to right-center field and McDermott followed up with the game-tying single that brought Folsom across the plate. With the score tied 4-4, Folsom was off the hook for the loss and Kriethe's one-third inning of work to that point positioned him for a decision.
 
The Orediggers gave their closer the decision in the bottom of the eighth after another shutout in the top half. Bonds worked a leadoff walk and Hsue delivered a two-out double which eventually became the game-winning hit. Kriethe returned in the top of the ninth and struck out the first Cougar batter he saw. Things got a little dicey when CCU loaded the bases with one out, but Mines' defense left no doubt. Kriethe delivered a one-ball, no-strike pitch which the Colorado Christian shortstop shot towards Hsue at shortstop for the game-ending groundball double play – Huse to Bonds to Houghtaling.
 
NOTABLES
- Sunday marked Mines' first series win in RMAC play after the Orediggers swept two straight series in non-conference play to start the season.
- Kriethe dropped his season ERA to 3.00 and his WHIP to 0.67. He's now 2-2 with two saves in 11 appearances and 21.0 innings of work in 2022.
- Ripp's outing pushed his ERA down to 3.86. He's also 2-2 in eight appearances and 25.2 innings on the mound this season.
- As a staff, the Oredigger pitchers tout a combined ERA of 4.80 which includes three shutouts and three complete games.
- Houghtaling's home run was his fourth of the season which ties him for second on the team.
- Bonds' two runs on Sunday tied him for the team lead with 23 on the year. He was also perfect on the base paths with two stolen bases in two attempts in the four-game series.
- McDermott finished the weekend series with zero errors while playing every single pitch at third base. He has only committed two errors on the season while starting every game on the hot corner.
- Also notable for the weekend set was Folsom hitting .533 with five runs on four doubles. Scoles racked up seven RBI and Bonds scored six runs as well.
- Scoles now boasts an active hitting streak of eight games and Mason Andrews has reached base safely in a 11 consecutive contests. Scoles' hitting streak is the longest of the season for any Oredigger.
- Coach Bales holds an overall record of 80-51 in his fourth season as the head coach at Mines.
 
WHAT'S NEXT
The Orediggers welcome New Mexico Highlands and UCCS to Golden next weekend for a RMAC Pod. There will be six games in three days all played at Jim Darden Field. Live stats and video will be offered at www.minesathletics.com. Tickets can be purchased online or at the gate.
 
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.