HAYS, Kan. – Offense was the name of the game on Friday afternoon as the #23-ranked Colorado School of Mines Baseball team worked Fort Hays State to a doubleheader split at Larks Park thanks to a 11-9 loss followed by a 9-6 win in extra innings.
 
Jason Hall provided pop for the offense as he went 3-for-9 with two home runs and a double. Hall finished the day scoring three times and driving in three runs. The top batting averages came from Trevor Howard and Alex Bumpus who both hit .556 on the day. That same duo combined to score seven runs thanks to four doubles. Howard's four runs were tops on the team. Danny McDermott came up big in the RBI column by driving in five runs including a three-run home run to win the second game. Noah Kuzma also went long for the Orediggers. Toby Scoles batted .400 on the day and I-Ly Hsue scored twice.
 
Relief specialist Zachary Kriethe (1-0) earned the lone victory on the mound thanks to 3.0 innings of one-hit, shutout baseball while striking out four batters. Lefty starter Walter Pennington (1-1) wore the loss in game one, departing the game after four strikeouts over 2.2 innings. The quartet of Weston Siefken, Kevin Zapanta, Ian Durgin and Mitch Menard combined for a 0.00 ERA after surrendering just two hits and striking out three batters. Ben Schoneman (0-0) started game two on the bump but did not factor in the decision. However, Schoneman did strike out 11 batters. Sam Slusser also appeared in relief for Mines.
 
Overall, Mines (3-2) and Fort Hays State (5-1) combined to score 35 runs on 53 hits over two games and 18 innings of baseball. The home team produced a higher batting average than the Orediggers, but Mines out-hit the Tigers, 18-17. The visitor's 18 runs and .338 average mark their highest offensive output of the season. On the mound, Mines' pitching staff fanned 24 batters while Fort Hays State only managed 14 strikeouts over 18 innings. The Orediggers' win snapped FHSU's five-game winning streak.
 
GAME ONE: Fort Hays State 11, #23 Mines 9
After engineering runs in Houston, the Orediggers returned to the long ball in the Heartland. Hall's two-run shot in the second and Kuzma's three-run bomb in the third gave Mines a 5-2 advantage. However, the bottom of the third inning proved disastrous for the visitors as FHSU racked up seven runs on eight hits. Durgin came in relief of Pennington and fanned a batter for the final out to stop the bleeding.
 
Hall's second hit for extra bases was a leadoff double in the top of the fourth inning. It sparked three runs on three hits. Ciacco capped the rally with a two-run single to cut Mines' deficit to one run at 9-8. That led to an exchanging of runs over the bottom of the fifth frame into the sixth to make it 11-9 in favor of the Tigers. Unfortunately for the Orediggers, the bats cooled off and a two-run deficit made the final score.
 
GAME TWO: #23 Mines 9, Fort Hays State 6 – 11 innings
Once again, Fort Hays State struck first to take a 1-0 lead into the second inning. That advantage did not stand up to Mines' reignited bats. Three consecutive hits from Bumpus, Howard and McDermott gave the Orediggers a 2-1 lead in the top of the third after a scoreless second inning. Scoles kept it rolling with a two-out double and Bonds capped the party with a two-out single, making it 4-1 in favor of the visitors. In the bottom half, FHSU got one run back but Mines boasted a 4-2 advantage after three complete innings of action.
 
Back-to-back bunt singles courtesy of I-Ly Hsue and Bumpus assisted the visitors with another run in the fourth inning to make it 5-2. Then, over the next three frames, the home team rattled off four unanswered runs thanks. Heading into the top of the ninth inning, Fort Hays State held a 6-5 lead. Hall erased that advantage with one swing of the bat as he hit a two-out, solo bomb to tie the game 6-6. It was Hall's only hit of the second game. Kriethe shut down the Tigers in the bottom of the ninth and sent the game into extra innings thanks to a pair of strikeouts.
 
In the bonus frames, neither team produced any offense to start as zeros went up on the scoreboard in the 10th inning. However, Mines would not wait a second inning to make its move. From the ninth spot in the batting order, Hsue led off with a single to right-center field. Howard worked a one-out walk and McDermott did not leave his teammates hanging. The sophomore worked a two-ball, two-strike count and then hit the fifth pitch out of Larks Park down the right-field line. McDermott's home run provided the Orediggers a 9-6 lead they would not surrender. Kriethe came on for his second inning of work and sat the Tigers down in order including a strikeout for the final out.
 
NOTABLES
- Mines' victory in the doubleheader marked its 13th win in the all-time series against Fort Hays State. Overall, the Orediggers are 13-69 against the Tigers but boast a record of 3-3 over the last six meetings.
- McDermott's game-winning home run was his second long ball of the season and fourth of his career.
- Mines has gone to extra innings in two of its last three contests. The Orediggers fell to #4-ranked Central Missouri last weekend in 10 innings.
- Hall has four hits this season and none of them are singles. The redshirt sophomore boasts two home runs, one triple and one double.
- Hall's home runs on Saturday were the first two of his career.
- Schoneman's 11 strikeouts are the most by a Mines pitcher this season. The last Oredigger to record 11 strikeouts was Tyler Blomster with 13 against Dixie State in the RMAC Tournament last season.
- Kuzma touts one home run this season and four in his career as a sophomore.
- Both Schoneman and Keene Tanaka made the first starts of their careers in game two of the doubleheader.
- Robby Bales is 43-17 in two years as the head coach for the Orediggers.
 
WHAT'S NEXT
Mines closes its trip to Fort Hays State on Sunday with a doubleheader starting at 12 p.m. (CT). Live stats and video of all games will be available at www.minesathletics.com.