ALAMOSA, Colo. – Balanced production on offense along with solid pitching and defense helped the Colorado School of Mines Baseball team sweep its doubleheader at Adams State on Friday by scores of 8-2 and 4-2.
 
Garret Nielsen was tops at the plate, hitting .667 in the twin-bill thanks to four hits including two doubles resulting in three runs and two RBI. I-Ly Hsue was right behind, batting .500 while scoring three runs and notching a triple. Danny McDermott, Mason Andrews, and Jackson Woolwine all tallied three hits apiece. Andrews and Woolwine scored two runs each. Woolwine also had two RBI, as did McDermott and Adam Houghtaling. Other notes on offense included five additional doubles off the bats of Caden Bonds, Andrews, Trent Nielsen, and Houghtaling.
 
The pitching staff needed just three arms to complete the sweep. Kevin Zapanta (3-2) started game one of the day and earned the win behind a complete-game performance. Across seven innings, Zapanta gave up just two runs on seven hits with seven strikeouts and one walk. Ben Schoneman (3-2) took the ball in game two and claimed victory thanks to 5.1 innings of two-run, seven-hit baseball. Schoneman's final resume featured three strikeouts, one walk, and one hit batter. Blake Ripp was the third arm and he earned the game-two save (1) on the merits of 1.2 innings of no-hit, shutout relief. Ripp notched two strikeouts and one walk as well. Loma (2-3) and Murray (1-3) were the pitchers of decision for the home team.
 
Mines (16-15, 12-7 RMAC) extended its win streak to eight games and moved above .500 for the first time this season. Adams State (9-23, 4-11 RMAC) fell into a four-game losing streak. The Orediggers earned the doubleheader sweep with a team batting average of .339, a staff ERA of 2.57 and zero errors on defense. The Grizzlies managed 14 hits, but only one went for extra bases as the home team produced just four runs in 14 innings of baseball. Adams State also committed three more errors after posting five errors in the field on Thursday. On the mound, Mines' arms struck out 12 batters and only walked three. Grizzly arms churned out eight strikeouts compared to four walks.
 
GAME ONE: Mines 8, Adams State 2
Three runs on five hits including four doubles marked the top of the first inning for the Orediggers on Friday afternoon. It was as if Thursday's series opener hadn't ever ended. However, Adams State's pitching ace and the Grizzly defense responded by putting up back-to-back zeroes in the second and third innings keeping the score 3-0 heading into the fourth frame. A McDermott single and a Bonds double provided the visitors another run in the top of the fourth, but ASU avoided the shutout with one run in the home half of the same inning.
 
It was the fifth frame that truly propelled Mines to victory and doomed Adams State. Hsue led off with a triple, and when the dust settled, the Orediggers had stacked up four more runs on two hits. Hsue, Woolwine, Andrews, and Garret Nielsen all came across the plate. The home team answered with one run in the bottom half, but two more strikeouts from Zapanta offset back-to-back ASU singles and limited the threat. There were no more runs scored in the final two innings as Zapanta stacked up two more strikeouts.
 
GAME TWO: Mines 4, Adams State 2
One run in the bottom of the first inning afforded the Grizzlies their first lead of the series. That advantage lasted one full inning before the Orediggers put up a crooked number in the top of the third. Hsue led off with a single, stole second base, and scored on an ASU error. Garret Nielsen doubled to plate Woolwine. A RBI-single from McDermott brought in Nielsen to cap the rally. Mines added a two-out insurance run in the next frame thanks to another single-steal combo by Hsue. He came across the plate on Woolwine's two-out single. Schoneman worked around a leadoff single in the bottom of the fourth, and retired the fifth in order for two more shutout innings. Adams State managed to load the bases with one out in the sixth before Ripp came out of the bullpen and locked it down. What followed was a walk that scored one, a strikeout, and a popup to end the threat. Ripp and the defense sat the Grizzlies down in order to close the game.
 
NOTABLES
- Mines' eight-game win streak makes it the hottest team in the RMAC and the second-hottest team in the entire South Central Region.
- The only team in the region with a longer, active win streak is #3-ranked St. Edward's out of Austin, Texas, and the Lone Star Conference.
- The Orediggers haven't lost a game since March 26.
- Over the last 10 years, Mines is 33-8 when playing Adams State.
- In Thursday night's series opener, Adam Houghtaling recorded the 100th hit of his career as an Orediggers.
- Garret Nielsen now boasts 49 hits and 46 RBI in 31 games with Mines. He is hitting .438 so far this season.
- Zapanta's seven strikeouts pushed him to #8 on the program's all-time list. He moved past Ben Gilman who fanned 154 from 2012-14.
- Zapanta also notched the second complete game of his career.
- So far this season, Ripp is 4-1 in 11 appearances and one start with one save thanks to a 1.55 ERA fueled by 25 strikeouts compared to four walks in 29.0 innings of work.
- Garret Nielsen and McDermott both tout eight-game hitting streaks. McDermott has also reached base safely in 23 consecutive games.
- Head Coach Robby Bales improved to 111-75 in his fifth season leading the Orediggers.
 
WHAT'S NEXT
Mines closes its series at Adams State on Sunday with a single, nine-inning game starting at 12 p.m. Live stats and free video on the RMAC Network will be linked 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.