WEATHERFORD, Okla. – The Colorado School of Mines Baseball team opened its 2025 season on Friday with a 8-3 loss at Southwestern Oklahoma State.
Oredigger highlights at the plate were topped by doubles off the respective bats of
Mason Andrews,
Trent Nielsen,
Jackson Babcock, and
Alex Dunagan.
Canon Humphreys scored twice and drove in another. Nielsen also scored for Mines. Dunagan and
Wayne Moeck accounted for the remaining RBI. Also notable on offense was a stolen base for Dunagan. On the mound,
Alex Honeyman (0-1) started the game and provided seven innings of work which included six strikeouts, zero walks, and four total runs. However, only one of those runs was earned.
Carter Gorling,
Sam Monk, and
Will Niles all came out of the bullpen. Philip Sanders (1-0) was the winning pitcher.
Mines (0-1) sent four of its seven hits for extra bases, but seven errors in the field were the downfall of the Orediggers. Southwestern Oklahoma State (1-0) only had one hit go for extra bases, but tallied 10 total knocks and did not walk a single batter. That efficiency helped offset two Bulldog fielding errors. Overall, Mines pitching staff combined to strikeout eight batters and the Oredigger hitters only struck out twice.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Despite the final box score, the Orediggers looked up to the task of taking on SWOSU and starting the season with a win. One bulldog run in the second inning came off a leadoff single and a two-out double. An early Mines miscue in the third set up a sacrifice bunt and a sacrifice fly to make the score 2-0 in favor of the home team. The visiting offense eventually came alive in the top of the fifth. Nielsen started the frame with a double and Babcock followed with the same. Humphreys then plated Nielsen and Moeck brought in Humphreys on a sacrifice fly to tie the game, 2-2.
The battle continued with stacked zeroes in the sixth inning before the Orediggers once again cut into the home team's lead. A two-out single by Humphreys and a two-out double by Dunagan pulled Mines within one run at 4-3. However, walks, wild pitchers, and errors eventually caught up with the visitors. They led to two SWOSU runs in the seventh and two more in the eighth while the Bulldog bullpen kept the Orediggers off the scoreboard. One last gasp for Mines in the top of the ninth had runners on second and third with two outs, but nothing came to fruition.
NOTABLES
- Mines still holds a 2-1 lead in the series with Southwestern Oklahoma State dating back to 2012.
- Babcock and Niles both played in the first collegiate game of their respective careers.
- Monk's appearance was his debut in an Oredigger uniform.
- Dungan's final line at the plate included two hits, one double, and one RBI.
- Honeyman's six strikeouts matched his single-game high from the 2024 campaign.
- Oredigger Head Coach
Robby Bales is 146-107 in his seventh season leading Mines.
WHAT'S NEXT
The Orediggers continue their series at Southwestern Oklahoma State on Saturday with a doubleheader starting at 12 p.m. CT. Free live stats and video 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.
