GOLDEN, Colo. – Nine runs in the last three innings on Monday pushed the Colorado School of Mines Baseball team within two runs of #24-ranked Colorado Mesa, but the rally fell just short as the Orediggers took a 14-12 loss and CMU claimed the series sweep.
 
Danny McDermott carried Mines' hot bat and played a big role in the rally. He finished his day with four hits including a double and a home run leading to two runs and three RBI. McDermott came a triple short of hitting for the cycle. Garret Nielsen turned in a 3-for-4 performance that included three RBI and one run thanks to a double and a home run. He was also a triple shy of hitting for the cycle. I-Ly Hsue notched a double as well. Adam Houghtaling and Alex Dunagan both hit home runs.
 
Ben Schoneman (1-1) was the Oredigger starter on the mound. He took the loss after giving up five runs on nine hits in 3.1 innings despite five strikeouts and two walks. Marcus Lee, Jackson Bakovich, Blake Ripp, Matthew Dobberthien, and Weston Siefken all saw work out of the bullpen. Siefken highlighted the relief appearances with his 2.1 shutout innings. He gave up one hit, struck out one batter and walked zero.
 
Mines (7-13, 3-5 RMAC) suffered its first series sweep of the season despite eight of nine starting batters notching at least one hit. Two other Orediggers came off the bench and recorded one hit each while scoring one run apiece. Colorado Mesa (16-7, 7-1 RMAC) earned its second sweep of the season and first of conference play by batting .431 as a team, scoring 14 runs in 19 hits including two doubles and three home runs. In comparison, Mines hit .404 as a team and scored its 12 runs on 17 hits with three doubles and four home runs. Both teams used six pitchers each in the finale. Cole Seward was the CMU starter and did not factor in the decision. Bridger Clontz (1-0) earned the win in relief and Isaac Hayen claimed a one-pitch save.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
Through the first six innings of action, Colorado Mesa stacked up 11 runs to take an 11-3 lead on Mines. The home teams trio of runs came thanks to Dunagan's solo home run in the fourth frame followed by back-to-back singles from Woolwine and Garret Nielsen in the fifth frame. The Mavericks scored three more runs in the top of the seventh, and nearly earned a run-rule victory with a 14-3 score and a runner on third base. However, Siefken came out of the bullpen and got a line-drive out to end the inning. Then, the Oredigger bats came alive.
 
Three runs in the home half of the seventh were courtesy of Garret Nielsen's and Adam Houghtaling's back-to-back jacks. Nielsen's came with Mason Andrews on base. I-Ly Huse started the eighth frame with a double and came in to score on a groundball by Ryan Vermeer. That pulled Mines within 14-7 of the visitors. The Orediggers' final trip to the plate started with two fly balls wrapped around Caden Bonds' one-out single. Three straight singles off the bats of Trent Nielsen, Dunagan, and Hsue scored two more and made the score 14-9. McDermott belted a three-run home run onto Stermole Soccer Stadium to force the Colorado Mesa pitching change at 14-12. It proved effective as one pitch led to a fly ball and stopped the rally.
 
NOTABLES
- Danny McDermott's home run was his second of the season and 23rd of his career which ranks #7 on Mines' all-time list.
- McDermott finished the weekend with a .600 batting average thanks to six hits including one double and one home run with three runs and four RBI.
- Garret Nielsen broke a tie with his brother Trent Nielsen for the team lead in home runs this season. Garret owns six bombs in 20 games. Trent has five tanks in 18 appearances.
- Houghtaling owns three home runs in 2023 and 16 in his career, just four outside the Orediggers' all-time top-10.
- Dunagan's home run was his second of the season and of his career.
- The sixth, seventh, eighth, and ninth positions in Mines' batting order on Monday combined to go 9-for-17 with seven runs and six RBI on two doubles and two home runs.
- Head Coach Robby Bales is now 102-73 in his fifth season leading the Orediggers.
 
WHAT'S NEXT
Mines continues its season on short rest with a four-game series at CSU Pueblo starting Friday and running through Sunday. Free live stats and video on the RMAC Network will be offered 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.