GOLDEN, Colo. – The Colorado School of Mines baseball team dropped its series opener with MSU Denver Friday by a score of 13-7 at Jim Darden Field.
Jackson Babcock led the home offense with a four-hit day while scoring one run and notching one RBI.
Justin Kubojiri went 2-for-5 with two runs and two RBI.
Tyler Hummel also had multiple hits for the Orediggers (9-14, 6-3 RMAC) and scored once.
Evan Bilter stole two bases as well.
Matt Potter (0-2) started on the mound and took the loss, leaving the game after one inning of work.
Nicholas Spidel,
Matthew Turner,
Tai Nguyen, and
Joseph Steidel provided relief pitching for Mines. Turner's outing included 5.0 innings out of the bullpen with four runs on six hits, two walks, and two strikeouts. Jake Syverson (4-0) was the starter and winning pitcher for MSU Denver (17-6, 5-0 RMAC).
The Orediggers scored their seven runs on 11 hits and had zero fielding errors. The Roadrunners stacked 13 runs on 13 hits to overcome two fielding errors. Mines had no hits for extra bases while MSU Denver recorded four doubles, one triple, and one home run. On the mound, the home pitching staff struck out six, walked nine, and hit three batters. The visiting staff struck out nine, walked four, and hit three batters. Two of the seven runs allowed by the Roadrunners were unearned.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Four runs in the opening frame and three more in the second inning put Mines in an early, 7-0 deficit. However, the Orediggers cut the MSU Denver lead to one after scoring six runs in the bottom of the fourth inning. Singles off the bats of
Tyler Easter and Kubojiri helped bring in the first three runs.
Alex Dunagan's sacrifice fly played
Justin Holcomb, a Roadrunner error allowed Kubojiri to cross the plate, and
Brody Duvall stole home as part of a delayed double steal. An MSU Denver double and home run in the sixth added four more runs to the visiting total. After that, Babcock's single in the eighth inning scored Kubjiri to cap Mines' offensive production. The Roadrunners hit a two-run, ninth-inning triple off the top of the fence in the ninth inning and rounded out the final tally.
NOTABLES
- Mines is now 37-42 against MSU Denver since 2009.
- Turner's 5.0 innings of relief marked the longest appearance of his collegiate career.
- The Orediggers matched their season high with three stolen bases Friday.
- Babcock's four-hit game was his second such performance of the season and his 15th outing with multiple hits in 2026.
- Bilter has reached base safely in 17 consecutive games while
Ben Leiphart's streak is at 15 and Easter is up to 10 straight games of reaching base safely.
- Head Coach
Robby Bales is now 168-154 in his eighth season at the helm.
WHAT'S NEXT
Mines and MSU Denver continue their RMAC series on Saturday with a doubleheader starting at 12 p.m. at Jim Darden Field.
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.
