PUEBLO, Colo. – Garret Nielsen delivered at the plate for the Colorado School of Mines Baseball team on Saturday afternoon, and Blake Ripp got it done on the mound as the Orediggers to a 7-4 win off CSU Pueblo at Rawlings Field.
 
Garret Nielsen finished the game 4-for-5 at the plate including two doubles leading to four RBI. Ripp (3-1) earned the win thanks to 4.2 innings of relief in which he gave up zero runs on two hits with four strikeouts and one out. Other top performers included Adam Houghtaling, Mason Andrews, and Danny McDermott. Houghtaling matched Nielsen's four hits. Andrews was 2-for-4 with a triple and an inside-the-park home run. He scored two runs and had two RBI. McDermott turned in a 2-for-4 performance which included one run, one RBI, and a double. Jackson Woolwine also scored twice and was the go-ahead run. Kevin Zapanta started the game on the mound but didn't factor in the decision. The four runs Zapanta gave up were all unearned and came on five hits as he struck out four and walked two.
 
With the win, Mines (8-14, 4-6 RMAC) snapped its six-game losing streak. The Orediggers scored seven runs on 15 hits while batting .394 as a team. CSU Pueblo (11-14, 8-2 RMAC) had its seven-game win streak halted. The ThunderWolves scored their four runs on seven hits, batting .205 as a team. They only notched one hit for extra bases. Each side left 11 runners on base. None of the runs scored by "The Pack" were earned due to three errors by Mines. CSU Pueblo committed three errors of its own, but all Oredigger runs were earned. Five of Mines' 15 hits were for extra bases including three doubles, one triple, and one home run. The visitor's pitching staff struck out eight and walked three. The home team hurlers struck out nine and walked two. Tyler Curtis was the starting pitcher for CSU Pueblo. Reliever Jacob Petersheim (0-2) took the loss.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
Blustery winds and chilly temperatures provided the setting for game two of the series on Saturday. It began with Mines striking first in the top of the opening frame as Andrews tripled and Garret Nielsen drove him in. However, CSU Pueblo escaped bases-loaded with one out thanks to a pop-up and a fly ball. That led to stacked zeroes in the second inning before the ThunderWolves got on the board. They scored three unearned runs on one hit and one Oredigger error to take a 3-1 lead.
 
Mines immediately clapped back and tied the game with two runs in the top of the fourth inning when McDermott hit a double before Andrews sent a ball to the wall in center field. The ball and the CSU Pueblo outfielder banged off the wall. Andrews flexed his speed and raced all the way home before the outfield could recover and get the ball to the plate. But the 3-3 tie wouldn't last long. The home team loaded the bases and took a 4-3 lead on a one-out single in the bottom of the fifth inning. Ripp gave up the single, but Zapanta was responsible for the unearned run. After that, it was all Ripp, the Oredigger defense, and Garret Nielsen.
 
The righty reliever from Kansas worked an infield fly and struck out one to end the fifth frame. Garret Nielsen plated Woolwine with a two-out double in the top of the sixth to tie the score 4-4. Ripp worked around a leadoff single with three balls in the air in the home half of the same inning. Zeroes on the scoreboard brought the game through the stretch and into the critical eighth frame. With two outs, CSU Pueblo committed an error on a failed pickoff attempt and that put Woolwine on second base and Nic Roma at third base. On a 3-2 count with two outs, Garret Nielsen smacked a double to left-center field and provided Mines a 6-4 lead. McDermott and Caden Bonds teamed up for an insurance run in the top of the ninth inning. Meanwhile, Ripp and the Oredigger defense recorded the final six outs in order to clinch the win.
 
NOTABLES
- With the victory on Saturday, Mines held on to sixth place in the RMAC standings, keeping the Orediggers in contention for a berth in the conference tournament. The loss dropped CSU Pueblo to #2.
- Ripp leads Mines with nine relief appearances in 2023. He is now 3-1 with a 2.11 ERA thanks to 17 strikeouts compared to three walks in 21.1 innings of work.
- Garret Nielsen moved to #1 on the team in batting average at .407 on the year. He's also tops on the team with 33 RBI and 10 doubles.
- Andrews owns four home runs this season and 15 in his career.
- Woolwine has been hit five times in the last two games and has reached base safely in 15 consecutive appearances.
- McDermott has reached base safely in 14 straight games.
- Zapanta now boasts 142 strikeouts in his career which ranks #8 on the program's all-time list. His four strikeouts on Saturday pushed him past Nate Olinger (2013-16).
- Head Coach Robby Bales improved to 103-74 in his fifth season leading the Orediggers.
 
WHAT'S NEXT
Mines trip to Pueblo, Colo., continues with a doubleheader on Saturday at 2 p.m. Live stats and free 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.