DENVER, Colo. – Monday afternoon saw the Colorado School of Mines Baseball team drop the first game of its doubleheader at MSU Denver by a score of 9-4 before winning the finale and clinching the series with a 13-3 victory.
 
Tyler Pina carried the big bat for the visitors. He went 3-for-3 with a double and a home run while scoring once and driving in four. Luke Folsom hit .625 thanks five hits and two doubles. He also scored once and drove in three. Keene Tanaka reached a .600 batting average as well, notching a double and a home run on a 3-for-5 day. Jackson Woolwine scattered a double, a triple, and a home run across two games, and added three runs and three RBI. Also notable were three runs and a .571 batting average for Trent Nielsen. Evan Bilter came across the plate four times as well.
 
Weston Siefken (2-2) started the first game and took the loss after four runs on four hits in one inning. He did strike out two and walk zero. Alex Honeyman (5-3) took the ball in game two and earned the win. He tossed 6.0 innings and gave up just three runs on seven hits thanks to six strikeouts compared to two walks. Carter Gorling finished the finale with a scoreless frame. Gray St. Amant, Jackson Kay, and Nicholas Spidel provided relief in game one. Spidel was flawless across two innings while striking out two.
 
Mines (24-18, 17-11 RMAC) finished the day boasting nine doubles, one triple, and three home runs for a team slugging percentage of .649. MSU Denver (28-22, 19-13 RMAC) managed four doubles, one triple, and three home runs for a .548 mark. The Orediggers produced an overall batting average of .378 compared to the Roadrunners' .306 clip. Each team had one error to start the day, but turned in clean sheets in the finale. Nine walks across 16.0 innings were the biggest downfall for the home team. The visitors helped their cause by striking out 17 and walking just three.
 
GAME ONE: MSU Denver 9, Mines 4
The Roadrunners burst out of the gates and scored four runs on four hits in the first inning. One of those hits was a three-run home run. After that, MSU Denver managed just three runs in the fifth and two in the sixth. Meanwhile, the Orediggers waited three full innings before they started scoring. A Woolwine triple, Folsom single, Bilter walk, and Tanaka double gave Mines two runs in the top of the fourth and broke up the shutout. The Orediggers scored another run in the sixth and another in the seventh. They even totaled 11 hits for the game compared to 12 for the Roadrunners. However, nine runners left on base in nine innings dampened Mines' chance at a comeback. Hsue started the ninth with a single and eventually stole second base, but that was all for the Orediggers in the 9-4 setback.
 
GAME TWO: Mines 13, MSU Denver 3
From the first game of the day to the second of the day, there was a flipping of the script. The Orediggers hammered out four runs in the first, four in the second, two in the third, and two more in the fourth. Mixed into the outburst were two-run home runs off the bats of Woolwine and Pina along with RBI doubles from Humphreys, Folsom, Nielsen, Pina, and Woolwine. During the surge, Honeyman and Mines' defense kept MSU Denver out of the scoring column. Honeyman struck out three in the first, another in the second, and retired the side on eight pitches in the fourth. The Roadrunners did manage three runs in the bottom of the fifth, but that would be all. Tanaka started the seventh with a leadoff home run to cap the scoring at 13-3.
 
NOTABLES
- Since 2009, Mines sits 37-37 against MSU Denver.
- Monday marks the Orediggers' first series win against the Roadrunners since 2019.
- Pina's home run was his sixth of the season and of his career. He hit a home run in all three games he played against MSU Denver and touts five home runs in his last seven games.
- Tanaka now has two home runs in 2024 and three as a collegian.
- Woolwine moved to five home runs this year and seven in two active seasons as an Oredigger.
- Hsue and Bilter boast active hitting streaks of 14 games and 11 games, respectively.
- Folsom, Hsue, Andrews, and Bilter have all reached base safely in at least 10 straight games.
- Andrews took sole possession of #4 on Mines' all-time, single-season runs list. He has 60 and trails just Trevor Kehe and Mikey Gangwish. Woolwine is just behind at 58 and tied with Logan Smith at #5.
- Folsom officially ranks #2 in program history for career doubles. He surpassed Jace Selsor and is 12 shy of Nate Olinger.
- Woolwine's 21 doubles in 2024 are tied for #5 in the program record book. He's also tied for #3 in single-season triples with five.
- Oredigger Head Coach Robby Bales is 141-103 in his sixth season leading Mines.
 
WHAT'S NEXT
The Orediggers close the 2024 regular season next weekend at home with a pair of doubleheaders against UCCS on Friday and Saturday. First pitch of the series is scheduled for 3 p.m. Live stats and free video on the RMAC Network will be offered 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.