GOLDEN, Colo. – A ninth-inning rally made things interesting on Friday night at Jim Darden Field, but the Colorado School of Mines Baseball team held off Adams State and started the series with a 13-10 win.
 
Success for the home team started on the mound with starting pitcher Luke Folsom (3-1). The senior righty provided his team with 6.0 innings featuring three runs on eight hits with seven strikeouts and one walk. Carter Gorling took over and turned in 2.0 innings of one-hit, shutout baseball which included four strikeouts and zero walks. Henry Novicki and Nick Lacson also came out of the bullpen while Matthew Dobberthien recorded one strikeout to end the game.
 
At the plate, Canon Humphreys notched three hits including two doubles on the way to a 3-for-4 day. He scored once and stole one base as well. I-Ly Hsue also had multiple hits, tallying a single and a double while scoring twice and stealing one base. The rest of Mines' starting lineup notched one hit apiece. Nielsen's knock was a home run. He finished touting one run and two RBI. In addition to his contributions on the mound, Folsom added three RBI with one walk and a stolen base on offense. Jackson Woolwine led the team with three runs scored. Mason Andrews rounded out the highlights by scoring twice, walking twice, notching one RBI and smacking a double.
 
Overall, Mines (18-13, 11-6 RMAC) batted .353 while Adams State (14-17, 9-4 RMAC) turned in a .316 average. However, the Orediggers were error-free and the Grizzlies suffered four miscues on defense. Additionally, the home team slugging .588 thanks to five doubles and one home run. The visitors had one double and two home runs. Mines totaled four stolen bases and gave up zero to ASU. The Adams State rally in the ninth inning pushed the Orediggers' staff ERA to 10.00, but the Grizzly arms still checked in at 11.25. Mines pitchers struck out 14 and walked five. For ASU on the mound, the final tally was eight strikeouts and five walks.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The game started with an ASU single followed by a two-run home run in the top of the first inning. Home fans breathed a sigh of relief when Mines scored four runs on four hits and benefitted from two Adams State errors in the bottom half of the opening frame. After six total outs had been recorded, the Orediggers boasted a 4-2 lead. Then, they made it 5-2 on Nielsen's solo home run in the third. Five runs in the fourth inning blew the game wide open. The crooked number for Mines was spurred by a walk and two hit batters. Another error by the Grizzlies made the score 10-2 heading into the second half of the contest.
 
Single runs were swapped in the fifth. After that, it was stacked zeroes in the sixth and seventh as Folsom worked a pair of groundballs and Gorling struck out two. The Orediggers added two more insurance runs in the bottom of the eighth inning which proved much needed. Woolwine started the frame with a double and scored on a passed ball. Humphreys hit a one-out double which setup Evan Bilter's RBI. Novicki started the final frame by sandwiching an ASU single with two strikeouts. However, the Grizzlies worked four walks and hit a double. It set up a two-out grand slam, pulling the visitors within three runs. The bleeding stopped when Dobberthien quickly warmed up and struck out the final batter on four pitches.
 
NOTABLES
- Mines touts a record of 34-9 against Adams State dating back to 2013.
- The Orediggers are 7-2 in their last nine games and improved to 12-2 at home in 2024.
- Friday marked Mines' first error-free game since March 11 against Colorado Christian. The Orediggers did not commit a single error in three of their first four games in 2024.
- After fanning seven Grizzly batters, Folsom surpassed 100 strikeouts for his career while matching his single-game high.
- Hsue moved into a tied with Joe Popp for #10 on Mines' all-time runs list as both tout 135 in their respective careers.
- Andrews is now tied with Mikey Gangwish (2016-19) for career walks in an Oredigger uniform with 57.
- Folsom vaulted Derek Daly (2017-20) and moved to #8 in the program record book with 136 career RBI.
- Woolwine has reached base safely in every game this season.
- Oredigger Head Coach Robby Bales is 135-98 in his sixth season leading Mines.
 
WHAT'S NEXT
Mines is scheduled to continue its series against Adams State on Saturday with a doubleheader starting at noon at Jim Darden Field. Weather could impact the schedule. Fans should keep an eye on www.minesathletics.com and @MinesAthletics on social media for any updates. Live stats and 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.