GOLDEN, Colo. – Thirty total runs came across the plate Friday evening as the Colorado School of Mines baseball team suffered a 17-13 loss to Regis in its 2026 home opener.
 
Mines' top producers at the plate were Alex Freund, Evan Bilter, Alex Dunagan, and Justin Kubojiri. They all notched three hits apiece with Bilter smacking a home run and Dunagan tallying a trio of doubles. Freund and Kubojiri also hit one double each. Kubojiri also scored three times while adding one RBI, two walks, and a stolen base. Bilter, Dunagan, and Jackson Babcock all scored twice with Bilter collecting three RBI as well. Freund, Dunagan, Tyler Hummel, and Tyler Pina chipped in multi-RBI performances too. Two other stolen bases came off the speed of Keyan Lundvall and Dunagan.
 
Alex Honeyman was the starting pitcher for the home team. He lasted 5.0 innings, giving up four runs on two hits with three strikeouts and five walks. Honeyman didn't factor in the decision as Mateo Aldecocea (0-1) took the loss. Luke Parker and Brandon Schaff also came out of the bullpen. Cody Sheets (1-0) earned the win in relief for Regis. The Rangers' starting pitcher was Rocco Harmon who surrendered seven runs on 11 hits with five strikeouts and one walk.
 
With the loss, Mines (0-5) was kept out of the win column yet again early in the 2026 season. Regis (2-3) came from behind multiple times to get the victory. The Orediggers scored their 13 runs on 19 hits but suffered from five fielding errors. The Rangers stacked 17 runs on 10 hits and only committed one fielding error. Mines' undoing came by way of 13 walks and three hit bitters compared to eight strikeouts on more than 180 pitches. Regis only walked three batters and struck out eight with less than 170 pitches in offensive explosion.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The home team came out strong and built an early, 2-0 lead after Dunagan's two-run double in the opening frame. Honeyman retired the Rangers in order in the first inning and only gave up one run after putting runners on second and third with one out in the second inning. A two-out double helped RU tie the game in the third inning, but Bilter's long ball in the bottom of the same frame quickly pushed the Orediggers back in front, 4-2. That led to another 1-2-3 inning for Honeyman and the home defense in the fourth. In the bottom half, Freund's double and a Bilter single pushed Mines' advantage to 6-2.
 
It was the top of the fifth inning when Regis started putting crooked numbers on the scoreboard. Two runs there seemed inconsequential after Mines worked Dunagan around the bases in its half of the inning. However, the Rangers stacked three more runs in the sixth and five in the seventh which afforded the visitors a 12-7 lead – their first of the game. Kubojiri's double after the seventh-inning stretch sparked a four-run outburst and helped Mines claw back into the game. Hummel's eighth-inning single scored Dunagan and tied the score out 12. Unfortunately for the Orediggers, RU found a two-out, pinch-hit, three-run triple off the bat of Linus Fleek in the ninth. He eventually scored on a bunt and that put Mines in a 17-12 deficit. A leadoff walk and a Freund single plated Kubojiri in the ninth, but that was all the home team had. Two pop-ups ended the game.
 
NOTABLES
- Bilter has three home runs in 2026 and nine in his career.
- Dunagan's three doubles tied the program record for doubles in a single game.
- Freund made his Oredigger debut Friday, starting in centerfield and finishing 3-for-6 with one run, two RBI, and a double.
- Kubojiri hit the first double of his college career.
- Tyler Pina came off the bench Friday and hit a two-run single in the bottom of the seventh, finishing 1-for-1 with two RBI.
- Head Coach Robby Bales is now 159-145 in his eighth season at the helm.
 
WHAT'S NEXT
Mines plays a doubleheader at Regis on Saturday starting at 11 a.m. before returning home for a Sunday finale at noon.
 
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.