GOLDEN, Colo. – The pitching prowess of Walter Pennington and the production of three Oredigger freshmen pushed the Colorado School of Mines Baseball team to a 6-1 win over Colorado Christian on Sunday at Jim Darden Field.
 
Pennington (2-2) started on the mound and earned the win after 5.0 innings of one-run, three-hit baseball while striking out five batters. True freshman Ben Schoneman took over for the senior and allowed just two hits in 3.0 shutout innings. Another true freshman in Zachary Kriethe closed it out on the bump with one inning featuring no runs off one hit. The duo of Kriethe and Schoneman combined for three strikeouts as well.
 
At the plate, it was true freshman I-Ly Hsue swinging the big bat. He batted ninth in the order and finished the game hitting .500 with four RBI and one run off of a double and a home run. Hsue's two hits were Mines' only extra-base hits of the game. Trevor Howard, Noah Kuzma, Danny McDermott, Jason Hall and Caden Bonds all scored for the Orediggers. Howard, McDermott and Alex Bumpus also joined Hsue with multiple hits. Kuzma capped the offensive production by providing one RBI.
 
Mines (8-6) outhit Colorado Christian (4-6) by a margin of 10-6 on the way to its second straight win. Double-digit base knocks led to a team batting average of .312 for the Orediggers. Mines' pitchers struck out eight batters while CCU's hurlers recorded six whiffs. The Orediggers lasted the first four innings without striking out. Additionally, Mines overcame two errors on defense to hold CCU to run one for a second consecutive game.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
Sunday's cloudy skies and plummeting temperatures provided an inverse setting for baseball compared to Saturday's opener. The game between Mines and CCU started in similar, inverse fashion. After the Orediggers drew first blood on Saturday, the Cougars struck first on Sunday. The single run came in the top of the second inning on a ground ball RBI. It proved to be the visitors only run of the game.
 
Mines responded in the bottom of the fourth frame following three consecutive zeros on the scoreboard. Kuzma started the rally with a leadoff single through the left side. McDermott carried it forward with a one-out single to left field, which resulted in CCU error that allowed Kuzma to score and put McDermott on second base. With the score tied 1-1, the Cougars worked another out and then walked Bonds to put two runners on base with two outs. Hsue stepped to the plate and did not disappoint. He worked a one-ball, two-strike count before giving Mines a 4-1 lead on a three-run home run over the left-field fence.
 
The Orediggers added insurance in the second seventh and eighth innings as well. Kuzma scored Howard on a safety squeeze in the seventh panel and Hsue delivered a one-run, two-out double in the eighth. Meanwhile, Schoneman and Mines' defense tossed up three consecutive zeros and set the table for Kriethe in the ninth. The Nevada native fanned the first two batters he faced and recorded the final out on a ground ball to third base. Derek Daly fielded it near the bag and delivered a bullet to McDermott at first base to clinch the victory.
 
NOTABLES
- Mines is 5-1 against Colorado Christian over the last two seasons.
- Over the weekend, the Orediggers scored eight of their 11 runs with two outs.
- Mines boasts at least one home run in seven straight games.
- Alex Bumpus has reached base safely in every game of his Oredigger career.
- A note from Friday features starting pitcher Tyler Blomster who broke Mines' all-time strikeouts record thanks to eight in the game, bringing him to 250 in his career.
- Robby Bales is 48-21 in two years as the head coach for the Orediggers.
 
WHAT'S NEXT
Mines opens RMAC play on March 6 at New Mexico Highlands. Live stats and video of the games will be available at www.minesathletics.com.