GOLDEN, Colo. – Offense was aplenty for the Colorado School of Mines Baseball team on Sunday afternoon as the Orediggers rolled to an 18-9, finale win over CSU Pueblo which clinched the series.
 
Contributions came from all areas of Mines' lineup. Luke Folsom posted a 1.000 batting average with three runs on two hits including a double and a home run on the way to three RBI. Canon Humphreys turned in a four-hit day while hitting .800. He scored four times, had two RBI, and notched a double. Mason Andrews, Jackson Woolwine, I-Ly Hsue, Evan Bilter, and Wayne Moeck all batted .500, or better, as well. Andrews hit a home run and collected three RBI. Woolwine tallied a double. Hsue turned in four RBI on three hits. Moeck was also hit twice and drew a walk.
 
On the mound, Gray St. Amant started the game, but bowed out after one inning featuring three unearned runs on three hits with one walk. Matthew Dobberthien (1-1) was the winning pitcher thanks to a 0.00 ERA across 3.0 innings of relief. He did give up four unearned runs while striking out one and walking two. Weston Siefken (1) earned a save on the merits of three innings of work while finishing the game. Siefken gave up zero runs and two hits with three strikeouts and zero walks. He held the visiting hitters to a .182 average through 3.0 innings. Carter Gorling also came out of the bullpen for the Orediggers.
 
The production on offense for Mines (14-12, 7-5 RMAC) was highlighted by a batting average of .486 as the team went 18-of-37 at the plate. CSU Pueblo (17-11, 6-6 RMAC) produced at a .316 clip, but left 10 runners on base. The ThunderWolves also gave eight walks to the Orediggers which canceled out seven strikeouts. Mines' pitchers combined for four strikeouts and four walks. Slugging numbers for the Orediggers soared to .730 with three doubles and two home runs. The Pack only managed one double and one home run. There were a total of five errors in the game with Mines committing three and CSU Pueblo committing two. Those miscues by the home team led to seven unearned runs.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
Based on the final score, it should come as no surprise that Mines scored early and often on Sunday afternoon. After St. Amant dealt a scoreless first inning, the Orediggers rode doubles from Woolwine and Folsom to a 2-0 lead. Three runs for CSU Pueblo in the second inning proved effective, but somewhat misleading. All three were unearned due to a home error on defense. Either way, Gorling came in from the bullpen and cleaned up the mess which brought the game into the third inning with The Pack leading 3-2.
 
In the top of the third frame, Gorling shrugged off a hit batter and a single thanks to Tyler Pina, Moeck, and Woolwine. Pina gunned down the hit batter on the base paths, Moeck tracked a frozen rope in centerfield, and Woolwine nabbed a fly ball for a zero on the scoreboard. Then, Mines' offense exploded. The home team racked up nine runs on seven hits with one error in the home half of the third. Two-run home runs from Andrews and Folsom fueled the surge. It provided the Orediggers an 11-3 lead which was only challenged once the rest of the game.
 
Colorado State University Pueblo provided the challenge its very next chance at the plate. The ThunderWolves loaded the bases with zero outs. It was then when Dobberthien emerged from the third-base bullpen. He limited the damage to two runs and brought Mines into the bottom half of the fourth inning with an 11-6 lead. The home team earned back the two runs, and more, with a Folsom walk, a Bilter single, a Humphreys' double, and a Hsue single. Two more runs for Mines in the bottom of the fifth brought the score to 17-5. The Pack did score four runs on four hits in the top of the sixth frame, but only prevented a run-rule decision as opposed to the final outcome. Humphreys came across the plate on Woolwine's eighth-inning sacrifice fly to make the final tally. Two strikeouts for Siefken in the top of the ninth ended the game.
 
NOTABLES
- Mines is 40-51 against CSU Pueblo since 2007.
- Sunday marked the first time either the Orediggers or ThunderWolves have taken three straight games from the other since 2019.
- Andrews' home run was his third of the weekend, ninth of the season, and 30th of his career. He's now alone at #5 on Mines' all-time list.
- Andrews is hitting just over .500 in his last 55 at-bats.
- Folsom boasts four home runs this season and 25 in his career.
- Siefken's save on Sunday was the first of his collegiate career.
- Dobberthien made the longest relief appearance of his Oredigger career against CSU Pueblo.
- Woolwine has reached base safely in every game this season.
- Oredigger Head Coach Robby Bales is 131-97 in his sixth season leading Mines.
 
WHAT'S NEXT
Mines starts its next series on Thursday at New Mexico Highlands. The four-game set is slated for one game Thursday, two on Friday, and one on Saturday. Live stats and free video on the RMAC Network will be available at www.minesathletics.com.

Fans can keep up with Mines baseball on "X" (formerly Twitter) and Instagram at @OrediggersBSB. They can also keep up with Colorado School of Mines Athletics all year long on Facebook, "X" and Instagram using the handle @MinesAthletics.