GOLDEN, Colo. – A complete effort on the mound, at the plate, and in the field on Saturday helped the Colorado School of Mines Baseball team sweep its doubleheader with New Mexico Highlands at Jim Darden Field by scores of 15-3 and 16-0.
 
Contributions on offense came from every spot in the batting order with Jackson Woolwine and Garret Nielsen leading the efforts at the plate. Woolwine hit .714 on the day thanks to five hits. He scored six runs, had one RBI, and notched two doubles. The outfielder also walked twice and was hit by a pitch once. Nielsen also batted .714 across two games which led to seven RBI and two runs on two doubles and a home run. Additionally, Mason Andrews, Caden Bonds, Keene Tanaka, Trent Nielsen, and Brady Veltien all hit .500 or better. Andrews, Tanaka, and Adam Houghtaling each had multiple doubles. Houghtaling hit a home run as well while batting .429 in two starts.
 
Blake Ripp (4-1) and Kevin Zapanta (2-2) were the starting pitchers and both earned wins on the mound. Ripp's game-one performance featured 6.0 innings in which he surrendered zero runs and just one hit while striking out six and walking zero. Zapanta's start saw the graduate student spin 5.0 innings of two-hit, shutout baseball. He finished with eight strikeouts and zero walks. The second game also turned into a combined shutout for Zapanta after Gray St. Amant provided 2.0 innings of relief without giving up a run. Carter Gorling also came out of the bullpen for the Orediggers.
 
As a team, Mines (11-15, 7-7 RMAC) combined to hit .477, scoring its 31 runs on 31 hits. Fourteen doubles and two home runs helped the Orediggers to a combined slugging percentage of .785. New Mexico Highlands (2-26, 1-9 RMAC) only managed seven hits and committed five errors in the field. The Cowboys' pitchers also walked nine batters and hit 10 more. On the other side, Mines' staff combined to strike out 16 and only walk four on the way to a 1.29 ERA across 14.0 innings of work.
 
GAME ONE: Mines 15, New Mexico Highlands 3 (7 innings)
Ripp set the tone in the series opener by using 11 pitches to retire the Cowboys in order. In the home half of the first inning, the Orediggers started by batting around the order without being put out. Garret Nielsen highlighted the outburst with a three-run home run and Mines finished the opening frame with nine runs on nine hits and a 9-0 lead. The next three innings had no scoring, but Mines did add two hits to its total while Ripp carried a no-hitter into the third inning. A double in the top of the third and a hit batter in the top of the fifth were the only baserunners Ripp allowed.
 
The Orediggers returned to the scoreboard in the final three innings. Sacrifice flies in the fifth and sixth brought in Woolwine and Alex Dunagan. New Mexico Highlands committed an error in the sixth as well which brought Woolwine across the plate again. The Cowboys nearly avoided a run-rule loss by scoring three runs in the top of the seventh. Then, NMHU worked two quick outs in the bottom of the seventh frame but couldn't get out of the inning before Mines scored the three runs needed to end the game early. It was an error by the shortstop that allowed Dunagan to score and finish off the win.
 
GAME TWO: Mines 16, New Mexico Highlands 0
Back-to-back scoreless innings provided a very different start to the second game of the day. Zapanta struck out three total and the contest rolled into the third inning tied at 0-0. The score quickly changed in the bottom of the third frame as Andrews' two-run double and Garret Nielsen's one-run single sparked five runs for the Orediggers. Garret Nielsen provided two more runs in the fourth inning thanks to another double that drove in Andrews and I-Ly Hsue. Mines then doubled its 7-0 lead in the bottom of the fifth inning. Two NMHU errors made all seven runs unearned. Houghtaling's two-run home run to center field highlighted the surge. Brady Veltien and Woolwine scored in the bottom of the sixth, but it was all academic as St. Amant worked around bases loaded to preserve the shutout and clinch the victory in the top of the seventh inning.
 
NOTABLES
- Ripp's start on the mound was his first of the season. He improved to 4-1 and dropped his ERA to 1.65.
- Danny McDermott recorded the 100th RBI of his career and scored the 100th run of his career on Saturday afternoon.
- McDermott has also reached base safely in 18 consecutive games.
- Caden Bonds touts an active six-game hitting streak.
- Garret Nielsen hit his seventh home run of the season and Houghtaling notched his fourth.
- Houghtaling boasts 18 home runs in his career and is tied for 11th on the program's all-time list.
- Garret Nielsen now touts 40 RBI in 26 games as an Oredigger.
- Zapanta moved up to 150 strikeouts for his career and 42 for the season. He's #9 on Mines' all-time list and 10-6 in his career.
- Head Coach Robby Bales improved to 106-75 in his fifth season leading the Orediggers.
 
WHAT'S NEXT
Mines closes the series with New Mexico Highlands with a doubleheader on Sunday starting at 12 p.m. Tickets can be purchased online or at the gate. 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.