GOLDEN, Colo. – Jackson Woolwine hit for the cycle in game one of Sunday's baseball doubleheader at Jim Darden Field, and Will Niles pitched a gem in game two as Mines won both ends of the twin bill against New Mexico Highlands, 14-3 and 9-1.
 
For the day, Woolwine batted. 625 with three runs on five hits including one double, one triple, and one home run with five RBI. His game-one cycle featured a double in the first inning, a groundball RBI in the second inning, a single in the third inning, a home run in the fifth inning, and a triple in the sixth inning of a seven-inning contest. Adding to the highlights on offense were Tyler Hummel and Mason Andrews who both hit .600 across two games. Hummel scored three runs with two RBI thanks to a home run. Andrews notched three doubles on the way to four runs and two RBI. The trio of Woolwine, Hummel, and Andrews slugged 1.375, 1.200, and 1.200, respectively in the doubleheader. Furthermore, Evan Bilter, Wayne Moeck, and Tyler Pina all hit .500, or better, and combined to score eight runs with seven RBI. Pina hit a home run as well. Tyler Easter capped the day with a 2-for-2 performance in game two which featured one run, one RBI, and a double.
 
Grady Booth was the starting pitcher in game one, but didn't factor in the decision. He tossed 3.2 innings of three-run, three-hit baseball with four strikeouts. Peter Lynch (1-2) earned the victory on the front end of the twin bill thanks to 2.2 innings of one-hit, shutout relief. Lynch's outing included just one walk. Ryan Semin provided the last two outs of the first game. Niles (1-1) started game two and rolled through 6.0 innings behind nine strikeouts compared to three walks on the way to the win. He surrendered just one run on five hits. Casey Thibault finished the second game of the day with a one-hit, shutout frame.
 
Overall, Mines (9-15, 4-3 RMAC) produced a .467 batting average while slugging .800 thanks to seven doubles, two triples, and three home runs. The Orediggers totaled 23 runs in two games on 28 hits with 21 RBI. New Mexico Highlands (8-15, 0-7 RMAC) only hit .208 on offense and had one double for a .226 slugging percentage. The Cowboys' combined for four runs on 11 hits with two RBI. Mines stole five bases on seven attempts compared to zero on zero attempts by NMHU. There were two fielding errors issued to the home team and one for the visitors. Mines' pitching staff spun out a 1.93 ERA on the merits of 13 strikeouts compared to seven walks with 11 hits sprinkled across 14 innings of work. Cowboy arms fell victim to a 17.25 ERA after striking out five and walking eight in 12 innings. Each team hit two batters.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
Game one of the day and the second of the series started with a New Mexico Highlands' single followed by a groundball double play and a Booth strikeout. As leadoff hitter, Woolwine set the tone for this cycle by smacking a double. He eventually scored on a Bilter groundball which forced a fielding error by the shortstop. That 1-0 lead after the first inning quickly grew to 4-0 in the second frame. Booth retired the Cowboys in order, and a Wayne Moeck triple sparked three total runs scored by Hummel, Moeck, and Andrews. Three runs for NMHU in the top of the third made some folks pucker at the narrow, 4-3 margin. However, Mines churned out 10 unanswered runs across the third, fourth, and fifth innings to secure a comfortable lead. Consecutive hits from Pina, Hummel, Ben Leiphart, Moeck, Andrews, and Woolwine keyed a five-run third inning. Pina homered in the fourth inning. Woolwine added a homer in the fifth inning while a Babcock single and Hummel's RBI walks provided four runs in the fifth inning. The Cowboys had no answer for Lynch or Semin and the Orediggers rolled to the double-digit win.
 
Niles started game two with five strikeouts in the first two frames alone. While New Mexico Highlands still scored first, those opening frames set the tone for the rest of the game. A walk, double, and single helped NMHU to a 1-0 lead in the top of the third inning. Then, Hummel homered to start the home half of the third and that was all she wrote. Bilter drove in Woolwine and Easter in the same inning for a 3-1, Mines lead. A double steal by Alex Dunagan and Moeck made the Oredigger advantage 4-1 after the fourth frame. Mines turned to manufacturing runs in the fifth inning. Moeck bunted in Bilter, Andrews doubles, and Eastern doubled for three more runs. Another double steal and Leiphart's double in the sixth made the final tally.
 
NOTABLES
- Mines is now 42-32 against New Mexico Highlands since 2008.
- In the same span, the Orediggers are 26-7 when hosting the Cowboys.
- Mines hasn't lost to NMHU in Golden since April 15, 2022.
- Woolwine became the second Oredigger to hit for the cycle in 2025 alone. Jackson Babcock also hit for the cycle during non-conference play in February in Colorado Springs.
- Other recent Orediggers to hit for the cycle include Adam Houghtaling (twice), and now-assistant coach Luke Folsom.
- Hummel's home run was the first of his collegiate career.
- Between Saturday and Sunday, Easter collected his first three hits as an Oredigger.
- Woolwine is up to two home runs on the season and nine in his time at Mines.
- Pina also boasts two home runs in 2025 and eight in less than three collegiate seasons.
- Andrews now has 17 hits this season and 10 are for extra bases. He owns 40 doubles in his collegiate career.
- Andrews also ranks #5 in program history with 146 RBI, and #4 with 173 runs scored.
- Additional notes on the program record book include Andrews at #4 in career walks with 77 and Woolwine at #5 with 76.
- Niles, a true freshman, notched career bests in innings pitched and matched his high in strikeouts. He also fanned nine at Quincy on March 2.
- Thibault's relief appearance marked his first-ever outing at Jim Darden Field. He boasts two trips from the bullpen this season and owns a 0.00 ERA across 3.1 innings of relief.
- Semin's outing on Sunday marked his collegiate debut.
- If the author has missed any other notables, please accept his sincere apologies.
- Oredigger Head Coach Robby Bales is now 155-120 in his seventh season leading Mines.
 
WHAT'S NEXT
The Orediggers and New Mexico Highlands play their series finale on Monday at 12 p.m. Free 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.