GOLDEN, Colo. – Saturday's baseball doubleheader at Jim Darden Field resulted in two Oredigger losses as they fell to MSU Denver, 17-3 and 4-3.
 
Despite the losses, Mines (9-16, 6-5 RMAC) had multiple outstanding performances. On offense, Brody Duvall hit .750 across the twin bill with three runs on six hits and one RBI with two doubles and one triple. Tyler Easter and Evan Bilter batted .500 and .400, respectively. Tyler Hummel added a home run and Jackson Babcock notched two RBI. On the mound, Alex Honeyman (3-2) started game one and took the loss after 10 runs on 11 hits in 2.2 innings. Will Niles (1-3) started game two and took a tough-luck decision after spinning a complete-game effort featuring four runs (three earned) on nine hits with seven strikeouts and zero walks. Kenji Bray, Joseph Steidel, and Ryan Semin came out of the bullpen for the Orediggers. Semin topped the list of relievers with his 0.00 ERA thanks to two flawless outs. Alejandro Maltos-Gracia (2-1) and Carter Swan (3-1) were the winning pitchers for MSU Denver (19-6, 7-0 RMAC).
 
Mines' typically high-power offense was limited to a .291 batting average. The MSU Denver bats pumped out a .437 mark at the plate. The Orediggers recorded four doubles, one triple, and one home run. On the other side, the Roadrunners produced eight doubles and three home runs. Mines' pitchers ended the day with an 11.57 ERA despite 12 strikeouts across 14.0 innings. The arms for MSU Denver combined to strikeout 14 while walking six. Defensive, the Orediggers committed three errors compared to one for the visitors.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The first game of the day started with a 3-1, MSU Denver lead after one inning of play. However, nine runs for the Roadrunners in the top of the third inning changed the complexion of the game. Mines posted one run in the third and one in the fourth as Easter drove in Duvall and Duvall hit a triple to score Drew Fairman. The visiting team padded its lead with five runs across the last three innings in the runaway decision.
 
Game two of the day and the third of the series turned into a pitchers' duel. The Roadrunners hit a home run in the top of the first for a 1-0 lead, but Babcock knotted the score by scoring Justin Kubojiri in the same frame. A one-out, one-run single put MSU Denver back ahead in the third inning. Hummel's solo home run started the fourth frame and tied the score at 2-2. The fifth and sixth innings brought stacked zeroes on the scoreboard. Then, in the final scheduled inning, two Oredigger errors helped MSU Denver tally a pair of runs. Duvall's one-out double in the bottom of the seventh set him up to score on Bilter's two-out single. But that would be all for Mines. Swan, working in relief, shrugged off a walk to Dunagan and fanned the final out.
 
NOTABLES
- Mines is now 37-44 against MSU Denver since 2009.
- Niles' complete game on Saturday was the first of his college career. He also took over the team lead in strikeouts with 23 this season.
- Hummel hit his first home run of the season and the second of his career.
- Duvall now boasts a .449 batting average in 2026 with 30 runs on 35 hits including five doubles, two triples, and one home run.
- Joe Reitz came off the bench for Mines on Saturday and went 1-for-1 with a double.
- Drew Fairman made his first start as an Oredigger and notched his first double in a Mines uniform.
- Semin's relief appearance against MSU Denver marked his second scoreless outing of the spring.
- Bilter has now reached base safely in 19 consecutive games.
- Head Coach Robby Bales is now 168-156 in his eighth season at the helm.
 
WHAT'S NEXT
Mines and MSU Denver close their conference series on Sunday with one game at noon 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.