GOLDEN, Colo. – The Colorado School of Mines Baseball team dropped both ends of its Sunday doubleheader with Regis by scores of 14-7 and 8-6 due to two big innings of run production from the Rangers at Jim Darden Field.
 
Home runs fueled the Orediggers' offense. Trent Nielsen hit two long balls, both in the second game, while batting .500 for the day with two runs and three RBI. Garret Nielsen also hit a home run and notched two runs with two RBI in two games. Mason Andrews rounded out the home team's home run hitters. He finished the doubleheader hitting .375, scored three runs, drove in three more, and added a double to his resume. I-Ly Hsue and Jackson Woolwine both scored two runs apiece. Adam Houghtaling had a double, and Danny McDermott hit a triple as well.
 
Luke Folsom and Kevin Zapanta were the starters on the mound. Folsom departed game one after four runs (two earned) on four hits in 3.0 innings, but did not factor in the decision. Matthew Dobberthien (2-1) took the loss instead due to one run on one walk without recording an out. Zapanta (3-3) provided a complete-game effort in the second contest. He struck out seven and walked three across 7.0 innings in the loss. Six of the eight runs Zapanta surrendered were unearned. Gray St. Amant, Jackson Bakovich, Rodney Gregg, and Carter Gorling all came out of the bullpen as well.
 
Mines (17-18, 12-10 RMAC) slugged over .500 as a team but only hit .274 at the plate and committed a total of seven errors in the field. Regis (20-16, 11-7 RMAC) committed two errors in each game, but overcame the miscues with a .362 batting average including six doubles and two home runs. Oredigger pitchers combined to strikeout 13 while walking nine Ranger batters. The RU pitching staff struck out 17 and walked 12.
 
GAME ONE: Regis 14, Mines 7
Both sides exchanged a pair of runs in the opening frame. It was Houghtaling's two-run double that scored Garret Nielsen and Andrews to put Mines on the board. Then, the Rangers scored five unanswered runs across the third and fourth frames, taking a 7-2 lead. Garret Nielsen's two-run home run in Andrews' three-run shot in the sixth served as the Orediggers' response and tied the game, 7-7. However, Regis closed the game by scoring seven unanswered. The surge was highlighted by five runs in the ninth inning. Mines could not find a response at the plate despite loading the bases in the eighth and ninth innings.
 
GAME TWO: Regis 8, Mines 6
Zapanta gave up a double to start the game, but struck out the next two batters and worked a groundball. However, an error on the groundball and a wild pitch on Zapanta's third strikeout extended the frame and resulted in six unearned runs for Regis and a 6-0, RU lead after one inning. After that, Zapanta and Mines' defense did not surrender a hit from the top of the second until the top of the sixth inning. Trent Nielsen's solo home run fueled a two-run fourth frame, and Andrews scored on an error in the fifth, pulling the Orediggers within 6-3. Unfortunately for the home team, Regis found two runs of insurance off a home run in the top of the seventh. That offset Mines' three-run outburst in its last trip to the plate.
 
NOTABLES
- Garret Nielsen touts 13 home runs this season and is tied for #9 in the program record book for home runs in a season.
- Trent Nielsen's multi-home run game marked the second of the season for any Oredigger. He now boasts eight bombs in 31 games.
- Andrews hit his fifth home run of the year which ranks third on the team in 2023.
- Houghtaling's double was his 20th of the season and moves him into a tie for #6 on Mines' all-time, single-season list.
- Zapanta has struck out 56 batters this season and 157 in his career. His career strikeouts rank #8 in program history.
- McDermott owns three triples in 2023. He has also reached base safely in 27 consecutive games.
- Head Coach Robby Bales is now 112-78 in his fifth season leading the Orediggers.
 
WHAT'S NEXT
Mines closes the series with Regis on Monday with a doubleheader 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.