HAYS, Kan. – The Colorado School of Mines Baseball team earned its first two wins of the 2026 season Saturday, downing Fort Hays State 21-7 and 11-8 during a doubleheader at Larks Park.
 
Mines (2-8) led the first game from start to finish and rallied from an 8-2 deficit in the second game against the Tigers (2-6). The Orediggers' 32 total runs were fueled by home runs off the bats of Evan Bilter, Brody Duvall, Keyan Lundvall, and Alex Dunagan. Bilter was Mines' top hitter, going 6-for-10 at the plate across both games, adding two doubles to his long ball on the way to two runs and seven RBI. Tyler Easter also hit .600. He tallied four runs on three hits with two doubles, a triple, and four RBI. Duvall and Kubojiri both batted .500 or better as well while combining for five runs and nine RBI. Every single Oredigger hitter reached base at least once during the day.
 
The visiting starting pitchers were Alex Honeyman and Will Niles. Honeyman (1-1) pitched his way to the winning decision thanks to eight strikeouts and just one walk to help offset five runs on nine hits across 6.0 innings. Niles didn't factor in his decision but did strike out eight while walking just one. Instead, Jackson Kay (1-0) nabbed the win by way of two flawless outs. Grady Booth (1) earned the save in game one after providing 3.0 innings of relief and finishing the game. He struck out one, walked one, and surrendered two runs on four hits. Brand Schaff (1) also grabbed a save as well thanks to 2.0 innings of shutout relief. Schaff struck out four and walked zero. Tai Nguyen also came out of the bullpen for the Orediggers.
 
As a team, Mines hit .412 and slugged .647 courtesy of 11 hits for extra bases. In comparison, Fort Hays State batted .355 but only slugged .526. The Orediggers' hits for extra bases included six doubles, one triple, and four home runs. The Tigers tallied seven doubles, zero triples, and two home runs. Mines' pitching staff combined for a 7.00 ERA with 223 strikeouts and only four walks. Fort Hays State's arms had a 13.00 ERA despite 17 strikeouts and nine walks. Both games were scheduled for nine innings.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
Mines started game one hot and didn't stop. A passed ball scored Alex Freund and Bilter drove in Jackson Babcock in the top of the first inning. Fort Hays State responded with one run, in the same frame, but wouldn't ever find the lead. Lundvall's solo home run made the score 3-1 going into the home half of the second inning. Another run for FHSU kept things close after two complete. Then, the Oredigger bats went from hot to inferno. One run in the third inning led to four runs in the fourth inning. Two more runs in the fifth inning came from an Easter double and a Duvall RBI-single. By then, Mines' lead was 10-3 thanks to Honeyman's solid work on the mound and error-free defense behind him.
 
The next three innings saw three runs for the home team and one for the Orediggers. But the icing on the cake was a 10-run outburst by Mines in the top of the ninth. That surge included home runs from Duvall and Bilter with a triple from Easter as part of five hits and FHSU's only error of the game. Booth was unbothered by one run on two hits in the bottom of the ninth and closed out the victory with three pop-ups. The final box score featured four hits apiece for Duvall and Bilter with the later stacking five RBI. Six other individuals had multi-hit days as well including Easter who turned in two doubles and one triple while scoring four times.
 
Game two brought another early lead for Mines after a two-run single off the bat of Justin Kubojiri in the top of the second inning. However, the Tigers responded with a total of eight unanswered runs spread across the third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh innings. After the stretch, the Orediggers called on Kay to get the final two outs and limit the damage. He delivered with strikeout and a fly ball. That performance brought the top of the eighth and the start of Mines' rally.
 
Freund started the frame by laying down a leadoff bunt. Then, Babcock singled and Bilter reached on an error which scored a run and put Orediggers on second and third base with zero outs. Dunagan was the next batter and he delivered a three-run home run to right field, cutting Mines' deficit to 8-6. The Tigers made a pitching change and the first out of the inning was finally recorded. However, the rally didn't stop. Tyler Hummel walked and Kubojiri singled which loaded the bases. Another pitching change for Fort Hays State was less successful. Duvall proceeded to smack a two-run single off the fresh arm and tie the game, 8-8. Freund came to the plate for a second time in the eighth and worked a walk which loaded the bases again. Babcock's single and Bilter's double stacked three more runs and an 11-8 lead for the visitors. The Tigers finally recorded the last two outs, but the damage had been done.
 
Schaff shrugged off a one-out single in the bottom of the eighth inning and ended the frame on back-to-back strikeouts. Hummel hit a leadoff single in the top of the ninth inning and worked his way to third base before FHSU got the third out and maintained the 11-8 margin. Schaff struck out two pinch hitters, gave up a two-out single, and clinched the win with a popup to shortstop. Duvall finished the second game of the day 3-for-6 with one run and two RBI. Bilter collected two more doubles.
 
NOTABLES
- Since 2015, Mines is 14-4 against Fort Hays State. The 21-7 score is the largest margin of victory between the two teams during that same span.
- The Orediggers have won 10 of their last 11 meetings with the Tigers and three of the last four series.
- Bilter now touts four home runs this season and 10 in his career.
- Duvall's long ball was his first in a Mines uniform.
- Lundvall, a true freshman, boasts two home runs in 2026.
- Dunagan also owns two home runs this season and now has seven in his career.
- Kay's win marked his first collegiate victory on the mound.
- Booth, a sophomore, and Schaff, a freshman both collected their first college saves.
- With his first win of the season, Honeyman is up to 10 wins in his career with 124 strikeouts.
- Head Coach Robby Bales is now 161-148 in his eighth season at the helm.
 
WHAT'S NEXT
Mines and Fort Hays will play one game on Sunday at 12 p.m.
 
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.