GAME 1 - MINES 15, NEW MEXICO HIGHLANDS 2 (7 inn.)
The bats were awake early on Sunday as Colorado School of Mines routed New Mexico Highlands, 15-2, in seven innings to start things off on the final day of RMAC pod play.
The Orediggers triggered the run rule in the non-conference game as they pounded 13 hits led by home runs from
Adam Houghtaling and
Toby Scoles and six extra-base hits overall. Every Mines starter had a base hit with
Wayne Moeck, Houghtaling, and
Jack Walton picking up two-hit games.
The offensive fireworks supported a strong start by
Ben Schoneman (1-2), who dominated with 10 strikeouts in a complete-game, six-hit effort.
New Mexico Highlands' only two runs came off the bat of Jared Brown, who homered twice to finish a standout five-home run pod weekend.
Brown's solo home run gave NMHU the lead in the first, but it didn't last long as
I-Ly Hsue was plunked, tagged up, and was balked around twice to score in the bottom of the first. The game was broken wide open with a monster 10-run second inning, though, as the Orediggers batted around and then some with seven hits. The inning included RBI base hits from
Nic Roma,
Luke Folsom, Moeck, and Walton as well as Houghtaling's home run and bases-loaded walks from Hsue and Scoles.
NMHU added a run on Brown's homer in the fourth but Mines never stepped off the gas with Moeck's single scoring
Danny McDermott in the fourth, Scoles blasting a two-run home run in the fifth, and Folsom's sacrifice fly in the sixth making it a 13-run lead when the game was halted in the seventh.
The Cowboys (9-23) started Will Copes, who only lasted 1.1 innings allowing six runs. Eston Storm threw the next five outs and allowed five, with John Slape finishing the game giving up four.
GAME 2 - MINES 6, UCCS 5
Brady Veltien's go-ahead two-run single in the eighth helped Mines finish the weekend with a hard-earned win over UCCS, 6-5.
The Orediggers (21-11) led most of the game before the Mountain Lions (10-20) rallied for the lead in the eighth, but a resilient Mines side made the most of its late opportunities to win.
Adam Houghtaling stayed red-hot with a 2-for-2, two-RBI performance that included a home run in a game where hits were at a premium for the Orediggers as they collected only six.
Luke Folsom continued a 10-game hit streak.
Blake Ripp, in his first start as an Oredigger, was unlucky to get no decision as he departed with the lead in the sixth after striking out three and allowing three.
Zachary Kriethe threw 1.2 innings of relief before
Rodney Gregg (2-0) pitched the eighth, and
Nash Neff was outstanding in a 1-2-3 ninth to earn his first save.
Mountain Lion starter Jon Sotto didn't make it out of the first as he issued five walks in a three-run first inning for the Orediggers, but reliever John Hoffman was outstanding in 3.2 innings of scoreless relief. UCCS' Kit Wigington homered in the fourth to make it 3-1 before Houghtaling's solo shot in the fifth canceled it out, but UCCS' rally started in the sixth when doubles by Brad Madison and Tyler Richardson cut the lead to 4-3. Wigington's RBI double in the seventh tied the game, and in the eighth with runners on the corners, Nate Heflebower perfectly executed a squeeze play bunt to scored Richardson and take the Mountain Lions' first lead of the game.
Mines had six outs left to mount a comeback, but only needed one. Houghtaling and
Mason Andrews walked to lead off the inning before being moved over on
Caden Bonds' sacrifice bunt, and that left it up to Veltien in a pinch-hit situation. The sophomore grooved a 1-0 pitch to left field to score both runners, and Mines was unlucky to not get more as they left the bases loaded in the inning.
Neff had his second shutdown performance of the weekend in the ninth, entering the game and getting a popup and two strikeouts in a perfect frame to earn the save.
NEXT UP
Mines is slated to host Northern Colorado Tuesday with a 4 p.m. start.
