GRAND JUNCTION – The fifth-seeded Colorado School of Mines baseball team fell to second-seeded MSU Denver Wednesday by a score of 19-6 in the first game of the 2026 RMAC Baseball Tournament.
Tyler Easter and
Tyler Hummel fueled the offense for Mines (18-32). Easter finished the game touting two doubles and three RBI. Hummel hit a home run and also recorded a trio of RBI.
Tyler Pina notched a single and scored twice.
Will Niles (1-7) started on the mound and wore the decision after 4.0 innings of work.
Grady Booth,
Mateo Aldecocea, and
Dillon Alcouffe combined for 1.2 innings of shutout relief. Nicholas Speidel,
Joseph Steidel, and
Alex Piscotty came out of the bullpen as well. Jake Syverson (7-1) was the starter and winning pitcher for MSU Denver (37-14).
As a team, Mines posted a clean sheet on defense, but the Orediggers were limited to a .129 batting average on offense. The Roadrunners combined for a .500 average. They notched four doubles, one triple, and two home runs to slug .816. Mines' pitching staff struck out five batters while walking nine and hitting four. The arms for MSU Denver totaled five strikeouts compared to two walks and one hit batter.
HOW IT HAPPENED
It took a full inning of action before either team got on the scoreboard Wednesday morning. The first team to strike was MSU Denver with one run in the second and two in the third frame as the Roadrunners built a modest, 3-0 lead. Mines loaded the bases in the top of the fourth inning before Easter provided the Orediggers' first hit of the day. It was a two-out, three-run double that tied the game. However, the Roadrunners' offense stayed hot and stacked 11 more runs across the next two frames. Hummel's three-run home run in the top of the seventh went over the fence in left field and cut MSU Denver's lead to 14-6. Five more runs for the higher seed in the bottom of the eight inning iced the game away.
NOTABLES
- Hummel's home run was his third of the season and fourth of his career.
- Easter notched his 11th and 12th doubles of the season as part of his 16th multi-hit performance.
- Bilter was hit by a pitch for the 21st time this spring.
- Prior to the game, Bilter and
Brody Duvall were announced as First-Team All-RMAC, and
Alex Dunagan was given the RMAC Summit Award.
- Since 2016, Mines is 13-15 in the RMAC Tournament.
- Head Coach
Robby Bales is now 177-172 in his eighth season at the helm.
WHAT'S NEXT
Mines faces the loser between Colorado Mesa and Regis in an elimination game at 11 a.m. on Thursday in Grand Junction, Colo.
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.
