LAS VEGAS, N.M. – The Colorado School of Mines Baseball team clinched its series at New Mexico Highlands on Saturday with a 14-4 finale win on the strength of three hot bats and three strong arms.
 
Mason Andrews, Evan Bilter, and Jackson Woolwine spearheaded the offensive production. Andrews and Bilter both batted 1.000, going 4-for-4 and 3-for-4, respectively. Andrews scored four runs with a double on the way to two RBI. Bilter came across the plate twice and drove in three more. Woolwine was 3-for-4 and slugged 1.750 thanks to two doubles and a triple. He scored twice and had one RBI while walking twice and stealing a base. Tyler Pina, Luke Folsom, and I-Ly Hsue notched doubles as well. Additionally, Hsue scored twice while Canon Humphreys and Ben Leiphart combined for four RBI. Leiphart earned his two RBI with a triple on a 1-for-2 day off the bench.
 
Weston Siefken, Jackson Bakovich, and Gray St. Amant provided the pitching power. Siefken (1-0) was the starter and earned the win. He spun 5.0 innings of two-run, four-hit baseball while striking out two and walking one. Bakovich bridged the gap with 3.0 innings of flawless relief. He struck out two, walked zero and surrendered zero runs on zero hits. St. Amant pitched the final inning and allowed two unearned runs while fanning a pair.
 
Mines (17-13, 10-6 RMAC) won its third conference series of the season by hitting .444 as a team and holding New Mexico Highlands (7-23, 3-9 RMAC) to a .176 batting average. The Orediggers also slugged a combined .722, fueled by six doubles and two triples. The Cowboys totaled six hits including a pair of doubles. Three fielding errors for Mines were offset by a staff ERA of 2.00. New Mexico Highlands finished the day wearing a 14.00 ERA, due in large part to 10 walks. Overall, the Oredigger arms struck out six and walked one. The Cowboys managed three strikeouts and also had one error in the field.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
Mines failed to score during its first trip to the plate, but New Mexico Highlands came out hot. Two runs on three hits in the bottom of the opening frame put the first start of Siefken's career in jeopardy. However, the redshirt senior settled in on the bump and trusted his defense on the way to four consecutive shutout innings. From the bottom of the second through the bottom of the fifth, NMHU managed just one hit and four baserunners. Even so, it took the Orediggers' offense two full innings to hit stride. Finally, in the top of the third, a Woolwine triple and a Folsom double helped the visitors tie the game at 2-2.
 
Mines struck again in the top of the fifth and gave Siefken the lead before he handed the ball to Bakovich. Andrews' double plated Hsue, and then Andrews scored on a wild pitch for a 4-2 advantage. After that, the Orediggers retired 12 straight NMHU hitters. Along the way, they added one run in the sixth, and two in the seventh before five runs in the eighth inning put the game virtually out of reach. Two more Mines runs in the top of the ninth made the score 14-2 before the Cowboys made some noise. But it was more of a peep than a yell as a pair of unearned runs on two Oredigger errors proved academic in the final tally.
 
NOTABLES
- Since 2008, Mines is 39-32 against New Mexico Highlands.
- The Orediggers are 8-2 in their last 10 meetings with the Cowboys and 19-6 over the last 25.
- At the halfway point of the conference schedule, Mines is #3 in the RMAC standings.
- Bakovich made two relief appearances during the weekend and finished 1-0 with a 1.29 ERA thanks to eight strikeouts and zero walks compared to one run and two hits in 7.0 innings of work.
- Siefken's start on Saturday was the first of his collegiate career. It also marked his longest outing in terms of innings pitched.
- Andrews, Bilter, and Woolwine all batted over .500 across the four-game series and combined for 17 runs on 24 hits with five doubles, two triples, and one home run with 15 RBI.
- Andrews has now scored 128 runs in his career and Hsue boasts 133 runs. Those numbers are tied for #12 and alone at #11, respectively, on Mines' all-time list.
- Woolwine has walked exactly 50 times in less than two collegiate seasons.
- Leiphart's triple was his first in a Mines uniform.
- Woolwine has reached base safely in every game this season.
- Oredigger Head Coach Robby Bales is 134-98 in his sixth season leading Mines.
 
WHAT'S NEXT
Mines returns home and hosts Adams State next weekend at Jim Darden Field. The series is scheduled to run Friday-Sunday. Tickets can be purchased online or at the gate. Live stats and free video on the RMAC Network will be linked 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.