GOLDEN, Colo. – The Colorado School of Mines Baseball team dropped its series opener to #13-ranked MSU Denver on Friday as the Roadrunners took a 10-1 win at Jim Darden Field.
 
Mason Andrews was the bright spot for the Mines offense. He went 2-for-4 with a double while scoring once. Danny McDermott notched the RBI for the Orediggers. Adam Houghtaling, Trent Nielsen, and Keene Tanaka all notched hits. Jackson Woolwine, Garret Nielsen, Houghtaling, and Tyler Pina drew one walk each. Luke Folsom (2-5) was the home pitcher of decision as well as the starter. He gave up seven runs on 11 hits with one strikeout and two walks in 3.0 innings. Gray St. Amant provided long relief by way of 4.1 innings featuring three runs on three hits along with five walks. Nicholas Spidel was flawless in 1.2 innings out of the bullpen, striking out three and walking zero.
 
Mines (17-21, 12-13 RMAC) hit just .187 as a team and only had one hit for extra bases. MSU Denver (39-9, 24-5 RMAC) extended its win streak to 17 games which marks the second-longest, active win streak across all three divisions of the NCAA. The Roadrunners earned the win behind a team batting average of .368. Six of their 14 hits went for extra bases and the pitching staff struck out four and walked four. The visitors also committed zero errors on defense while the Orediggers had two miscues recorded on the final box score. Andrew Hayes (9-1) was the starter and winning pitcher for MSU Denver.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
McDermott flashed his glove early; on the second pitch of the game to be exact and robbed MSU Denver of a leadoff double. Another groundball to McDermott gave Mines two quick outs in the opening frame. However, a two-out double, a walk, and a single gave the Roadrunners a 1-0 lead before the Orediggers could get to the plate. They responded with one run of their own after Andrews hustled out a double through the right side. McDermott drove him in with a two-out single to right field.
 
Despite many well struck balls and baserunners in multiple frames, Mines would not score the rest of the game. Meanwhile, MSU Denver scored one run in the second and padded its lead with a five-run, third inning thanks to a three-run home run. After that, both defenses combined to stack three straight zeroes on the scoreboard. The Roadrunners added insurance runs in the seventh and eighth including a two-run home run, but it was all academic. Even so, Spidel finished the eighth for St. Amant with two groundballs. He added a bright spot to the night by striking out the side in the top of the ninth.
 
NOTABLES
- Andrews' double was his 13th of the season and eighth of his career.
- McDermott notched the 110th RBI of his career which ranks #13 in program history.
- Spidel produced his second scoreless outing of the season.
- Woolwine has reached base safely in 14 consecutive games. He has also earned 27 walks this season as the leadoff hitter.
- The Oredigger freshmen earned a rare win in the pregame hacky sack showdown.
- Head Coach Robby Bales is now 112-81 in his fifth season leading the Orediggers.
 
WHAT'S NEXT
Mines continues the series against MSU Denver on Saturday with a doubleheader starting at noon. Senior Day festivities will begin at 11:40 a.m. Live stats and video will be offered at ww.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.