LAS VEGAS, N.M. – The Colorado School of Mines Baseball team opened Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference play on Friday afternoon with an 11-3 win over New Mexico Highlands at Brandt Field.
 
Derek Daly spearheaded the win on three runs and two RBI with two hits including a home run and a double. Toby Scoles joined Daly in the long-ball club with a home run of his own. Scoles scored twice and notched one RBI as well. Alex Bumpus turned in a .500 batting average fueled by three hits while scoring once and driving in two runs. Jakob Pigati and Caden Bonds wrapped it in a bow behind two runs and two RBI, respectively.
 
Tyler Blomster (3-1) started on the mound and earned the win after providing 5.2 innings of three-run, five-hit work with four strikeouts. Kevin Zapanta pitched the final three innings in flawless fashion and collected the first save of his career. Zapanta allowed no runs on no hits and walked zero batters. Ian Durgin appeared in relief as well to bridge the gap between Blomster and Zapanta with one out in the sixth frame.
 
As a team, Mines (9-6, 1-0 RMAC) racked up 13 hits in the victory with three going for extra bases including two home runs. The Orediggers' pitching staff turned in a 3.00 ERA and recorded four strikeouts while surrendering only six hits with no walks. New Mexico Highlands (1-8, 0-1 RMAC) had no hits for extra bases, but the Cowboys' pitchers did rack up eight strikeouts as a staff. Blake Collier ended up taking the loss on the mound for the home team. Mines extended its winning streak to three straight games and NMHU dropped its skid to four straight losses.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
Mines rolled into Las Vegas, N.M. well after dark on Thursday evening. The sun rose Friday morning and provided clear skies with temperatures nearing 60 degrees. As the first pitch was thrown at Brandt Field in the early hours of the afternoon, it quickly came clear that the Orediggers long road trip the day before had no ill effects. Derek Daly provided complete clarity in the opening frame with his two-out bomb that afforded the visitors a 1-0 lead. Blomster followed up in the bottom half by sitting the Cowboys down in order courtesy of two strikeouts and a ground ball.
 
The next four innings featured seven more runs for Mines on offense and consecutive zeros on defense. Derek Daly continued the surge of unanswered scoring in the third panel with a RBI double followed by a RBI single from Kuzma. That led to a leadoff dinger from Scoles in the fourth, which created a 4-0 lead for the Orediggers. Four runs on two hits and two NMHU errors blew the game wide open in the fifth inning as Mines made it 8-0. Defensively, Blomster led carried a no-hitter into the fourth inning and no Cowboy runner reached second base until after the fifth.
 
New Mexico Highlands found its offense in the sixth inning and worked out three runs on four hits before Durgin emerged from the bullpen and notched the final out. However, Mines offset the trio of runs thanks to Bumpus' two-run single in the top of the seventh. Durgin passed the baton to Zapanta on the mound and the redshirt freshman made it a 1-2-3 half inning. I-Ly Hsue scored the final run of the game in the final inning thanks to another Bumpus single. Zapanta capped the three-inning save on two ground balls and a line drive in the bottom of the ninth frame, clinching the 11-3 win.
 
NOTABLES
- Since 2017, Mines is 10-3 against New Mexico Highlands on RMAC opening weekend.
- Blomster tied the RMAC's all-time wins record on Friday with the 27th pitching victory of his career. He also tops Mines' all-time wins and strikeouts lists.
- The Orediggers have hit at least one home run in eight straight games.
- Derek Daly touts 36 home runs as an Oredigger including four long balls this season. He sits #3 on the program's all-time list.
- Additionally, Derek Daly has eight hits in 2020 including four home runs and two doubles – just two singles.
- Bumpus has reached base safely in every game of his career at Mines.
- Robby Bales is 49-21 in two years as the head coach for the Orediggers.
 
WHAT'S NEXT
Mines continues the series at New Mexico Highlands on Saturday with a doubleheader starting at 12 p.m. Live stats and video of the game will be available at www.minesathletics.com.