POMONA, Calif. – Luke Folsom provided the Colorado School of Mines Baseball team with a pitching gem on Friday night, but host #21 Cal Poly Pomona got the 1-0 win in a defensive battle.
 
Folsom's (0-1) final line on the mound included 7.0 innings of work with one run on four hits while striking out three and walking two. Blake Ripp came on and gave the Orediggers 1.0 inning of one-hit, shutout relief. Folsom would take the loss. On offense, Adam Houghtaling was responsible for two of Mines' three hits as he went 2-for-3 with one walk. Keene Tanaka notched a hit as well. Garret Nielsen also drew a walk and Folsom was hit by a pitch.
 
Mines (0-1) suffered the defeat after striking out 18 times. Rhys Stevens (2-0) accounted for 10 of the strikeouts for Cal Poly Pomona (5-0). Rhys earned the decision in the start and Caleb Reyes struck out eight on the way to the save. The Orediggers' team batting average was .0103 and the Broncos hit .185. Both teams had a clean sheet on defense with zero errors in the field.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
With runs at a premium, Mines' best chance to score came in the top of the second inning after Houghtaling led off with a single and Garret Nielsen followed that with a walk. However, three straight strikeouts ended the threat for CPP. The home team proceeded to get its lone run in the bottom of the second on a two-out, infield single following a leadoff single and a double play by the Oredigger defense. Through the remaining seven innings, only eight more runners reached base between either team, and Houghtaling was the only one to get past first base. He advanced to second base on two occasions.
 
NOTABLES
- Friday marked the first known meeting between Mines and Cal Poly Pomona on the baseball diamond. That makes the Orediggers 0-1 in the all-time series.
- Houghtaling now boasts a 10-game hitting streak dating back to last season. His reached-base streak is also 10 games.
- Folsom's 7.0-inning outing marked the longest start of his career on the mound. He started nine games in 2022.
- Jackson Woolwine made his collegiate baseball debut on Friday night with the start in centerfield.
- Garret Nielsen made his debut in an Oredigger uniform after playing four years at the University of California at Berkeley.
- Trent Nielsen also debuted collegiately after redshirting at San Jose State in 2022.
- Head Coach Robby Bales is now 95-61 in his fifth season leading the Orediggers.
 
WHAT'S NEXT
Mines continues its season-opening series at Cal Poly Pomona with a doubleheader on Saturday starting at 2 p.m. (PT). Free live stats will be offered at www.minesathletics.com. Pay-per-view video will also be available on the CCAA Network.
 
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.