DENVER, Colo. – Oredigger catcher Tyler Pina had a massive day at the plate on Friday as he guided the Colorado School of Mines Baseball team to a 19-6, run-rule win in the series opener at Regis.
 
Pina was 3-for-6 on offense with a single, a double, and a grand slam leading to three runs and six RBI. His production at the plate was good enough for a .500 batting average and a 1.167 slugging percentage. First baseman Trent Nielsen also had a big day on offense. He went 3-for-5 with a double on the way to four runs and four RBI. His .600 average was complimented by a .800 slugging percentage. Mason Andrews made it a trio of Orediggers with three hits in the game. He was 3-for-4 with two runs and two RBI. The outfielder walked twice as well. Luke Folsom, Canon Humphreys, and Jackson Woolwine each turned in two-hit days while a double for Humphreys and two doubles for Woolwine added to the slugging line. Additionally, Folsom scored three times, Woolwine and Brady Veltien scored twice, Veltien and Evan Bilter notched one double apiece.
 
On the mound, Luke Folsom (4-1) started the game and earned the win. He worked through 6.0 innings of six-hit, five-run (four earned) baseball, striking out four and walking two. Carter Gorling was the only additional arm required. He finished the last two innings touting three strikeouts and two walks with one run on three hits. The duo held opposing hitters to a .281 batting average, hit just one batter, and only allowed three hits for extra bases.
 
As a team, Mines (20-15, 13-8 RMAC) produced a combined batting average of .429 while Regis (18-16-1, 9-8 RMAC) managed just nine hits in 32 at-bats. The Rangers also committed three errors in the field and walked nine Oredigger batters. Regis pitchers did match Mines' seven strikeouts. Even with the trio of defensive miscues, 17 of the Orediggers' 19 runs were earned. Also notable were two stolen bases for the home team and a groundball double play turned by Mines. The visitors committed just one error on defense.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
A quick glance at the final score, or even a quick perusal of the full box score, would ever lead the casual fan to believe that Regis retired two of the first three batters of the game. But, that's exactly what happened. What happened after was a fast-and-furious explosion of offense. Folsom's two-out single started the surge. Then, Bilter was hit by a pitch before Nielsen legged out an infield single and plated Andrews who had drawn a walk. Pina was next at the plate and took one ball before sending the second pitch he saw over the fence in right-center field. Despite a 5-0 lead, the Orediggers were far from done. Humphreys and Veltien hit back-to-back doubles, I-Ly Hsue and Andrews hit back-to-back singles, and Woolwine smacked his own double on the way to an 8-0 advantage before the Rangers stopped the bleeding. The home half of the first featured two Folsom strikeouts and a lineout to Bilter in left field. All 162 words in this paragraph were a simple, brief summary of the first inning in a game scheduled for nine innings.
 
Mines kept the action the action going in the top of the second inning. Back-to-back singles from Nielsen and Pina made the visitors' lead 9-0. Andrews made it 11-0 thanks to a two-out, two-run single. Regis got two runs back in the bottom of the second after the leadoff hitter reached on an error and Garrett Rede followed up with a home run. That long ball seemingly provided the Rangers some life. They kept the Orediggers off the board in the third, fourth, and fifth frames while scratching out three runs in the bottom of the fourth inning. However, a rally for the home team was not in the cards. Bilter sparked a two-run sixth with a double. Andrews walked and Woolwine doubled to start a three-run seventh. Doubles from Nielsen and Pina highlighted another crooked number in the top of the eighth inning. One Regis run in the bottom of the seventh was purely academic in what proved to be a merciful, run-rule game in which RU used nine pitchers to cover eight innings.
 
NOTABLES
- Mines' record against Regis from 2009 to Friday afternoon is 35-36.
- Friday's result snapped the Rangers' six-game win streak against the Orediggers.
- Additionally, Friday marked the first time Mines had played at Regis Baseball Field since 2019 and the Orediggers' first series-opening win since 2018.
- Pina's home run was his second of the season and his collegiate career. It was also his first collegiate grand slam.
- Hsue and Andrews are now both tied for #10 on Mines' all-time runs list with 137 apiece.
- Folsom's three runs moved him into a tie for #14 on the program's career runs list.
- Hsue also boasts exactly 100 RBI as an Oredigger.
- Woolwine moved into a tie for #14 for most doubles in a season in program history. He has 17 through 34 games in 2014.
- With his win on the mound, Folsom improved to 4-1 on the season with a 5.32 ERA in eight starts thanks to 43 strikeouts compared to 14 walks across 44.0 innings of work.
- Gorling dropped his season ERA to 5.14 in his 11th appearance. He has struck out 27 batters and walked nine.
- Pina was just a triple short of the cycle and one RBI shy of tying the program's single-game record.
- Oredigger Head Coach Robby Bales is 137-100 in his sixth season leading Mines.
 
WHAT'S NEXT
Mines and Regis continue their series on Saturday with a doubleheader starting at 12 p.m. in Denver. 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.