DENVER, Colo. – Saturday's freezing temps and precipitation did not help the #13-ranked Colorado School of Mines Baseball team as the Orediggers dropped both ends of their doubleheader and the series at MSU Denver by scores of 6-2 and 5-4.
 
Mines' leaders at the plate were Caden Bonds and Brady Veltien. Bonds went 3-for-3 including two doubles while also scoring twice in game one of the day. He produced one RBI in game two as well. Veltien came up big in game two with a two-run home run. Also scoring for the Orediggers were Luke Folsom, Mason Andrews and Keene Tanaka. Adam Houghtaling, Tanaka and Andrews chipped in RBI too. Folsom added a double to his resume and I-Ly Hsue rounded out the notes with a triple. Defensively, Kevin Zapanta (3-1) and Brayden Weyer started on the mound. Zapanta took the loss on the front end while Zachary Kriethe (1-1) suffered defeat in the finale. Two highlights from the pitching staff included Blake Ripp providing 4.0 innings of three-hit, shutout work while Zapanta struck out seven batters.
 
Through two games on the day, Mines (12-4, 1-3 RMAC) suffered from four errors in the field and only managed 10 hits through 16 innings on offense. MSU Denver (12-6, 3-1 RMAC) managed 15 hits between the two contests including two doubles and a home run. Conner Nantkes (2-0) and Brandon Moore (3-0) were the winning pitchers for the Roadrunners.
 
GAME ONE: MSU Denver 6, Mines 2
Once again, the Orediggers scored first and it was in the second inning as well. One-out singles for Bonds and Andrews sandwiched a McDermott walk and allowed Andrews to plate Bonds for the 1-0 lead. And once again, the Roadrunners had a response in the bottom half of the same frame. The home team loaded the bases with nobody out. Zapanta then battled back with a pair of strikeouts before a MSU Denver grand slam put the home team on top, 4-1. It was all the Denver club needed as it added single insurance runs in the fourth and fifth. Bonds' one-out double in the top of the sixth led to Tanaka's two-out, RBI-single but it was purely academic in making the final count.
 
GAME TWO: MSU Denver 5, Mines 4
Offense remained a premium at the start of the finale with just three runs through the first three innings, all for the Roadrunners. A scoreless fourth frame led to a fifth in which the Orediggers found their spark. Folsom hit a leadoff single and Veltien followed up by hitting the second pitch of his at-bat over the right-field fence. The rally continued with a walk and hit better which set the table for Houghtaling's RBI-single, plating Andrews. That tied the game 3-3 and Mines took the lead two hitters later on a sacrifice fly from Bonds with Tanaka serving as the go-ahead run. Unfortunately for the visitors, MSU Denver tacked on two more runs in the bottom half to retake the lead. By the top of the sixth, the Orediggers' spark had fizzled and the home closed out the win.
 
NOTABLES
- Since the 2009 season, Mines and MSU Denver are even on the baseball field at 32-32.
- Veltien's home run against the Roadrunners marked the first of the sophomore's collegiate career.
- Bonds' two doubles tied him for the team lead with five on the season and Hsue moved up to two triples in 2022.
- Despite taking the loss on the mound, Zapanta now boasts 21 strikeouts in 21.1 innings of work this year.
- Coach Bales holds an overall record of 74-45 in his fourth season as the head coach at Mines.
 
WHAT'S NEXT
Mines is schedule to play its 2022 home openers next Friday, Saturday and Sunday against #2-ranked Colorado Mesa at Jim Darden Field. Fans should keep an eye on www.minesathletics.com and Twitter for any schedule updates pertaining to the weather. Live stats and video of any game played will be available 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.