GOLDEN, Colo. – Colorado State Pueblo Baseball erased a late deficit with a seven-run eighth inning to take a 12-11 lead, but Colorado School of Mines answered with three runs in the bottom of the eighth to hand the ThunderWolves a 14-12 loss to the Orediggers in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference action at Jim Darden Field.
With the setback, the ThunderWolves snapped a three-game win streak and fell to 13-17 overall and 5-8 in the league, while Mines improved to 10-21 overall and 7-10 in the league. The teams will continue the series with a doubleheader on Friday, starting at noon, and will conclude the weekend series with a single nine-inning game on Saturday, starting at noon.
The Pack struck first in Thursday's opener thanks to back-to-back RBI singles in the top of the first from junior catcher
Jason Arriola (Riverside, Calif./Norco) and junior designated hitter
Jake Hixenbaugh (Atascadero, Calif./Monterey Peninsula) to take a 2-0 lead. Mines, though, answered back in the bottom of the first as they used six hits and a Pack error to plate four runs and take a 4-2 lead.
Mines took a 5-2 lead in the bottom of the third on an RBI single by Justin Holcomb, before the Pack pulled within 5-3 in the top of the fourth on a sacrifice fly by redshirt senior shortstop
Kyle Miller (Pueblo, Colo./Colorado Mesa).
The Orediggers made it 8-3 in the bottom of the fourth on an RBI double by Alex Dunagan, an RBI infield single by Jackson Babcock, and an RBI single by Tyler Pina.
Junior third baseman
Jimmy Pelletier (Laval, Quebec/University of San Francisco) brought the Pack within 8-4 thanks to a one-out, solo home run over the wall in left field. The homer was the third this season for Pelletier.
In the seventh, the Pack pulled within 8-5 thanks to an RBI double by Arriola, before Mines used three hits and an error in the bottom of the seventh to plate three runs and push out to an 11-5 edge.
The Pack would respond in the top of the eighth as they scored seven runs on five hits, highlighted by RBI singles from Arriola and senior second baseman
Devean Alvarez (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif./Chaffey College), along with bases-loaded walks issued to Hixenbaugh and Pelletier. Alvarez delivered the biggest hit of the frame with a 2-run single, and a wild pitch later scored Pelletier with the go-ahead run to give the Pack a 12-11 lead.
Mines answered immediately in the bottom of the eighth as Alex Freund tied the game on an RBI single and Brody Duvall plated two runs on his 2-RBI triple to right center to put the Orediggers back in front, 14-12.
In the ninth, which was delayed for 17 minutes after the lights went out in Darden Field, the Pack put two runners on base thanks to walks issued to sophomore first baseman
Tyler Clementz (Gilbert, Ariz./Basha) and sophomore leftfielder
Dax Howard (Overland Park, Kan./Blue Valley Northwest), but Alex Piscotty, the seventh pitcher of the game for Mines, closed the door with a pair of strikeouts to secure the series opening win.
The Pack was outhit on the night, 20-13, as Arriola led the ThunderWolves with three hits and 3 RBI, while Alvarez also recorded three hits and 2 RBI. Pelletier had two hits, including that home run in the sixth, and drove in two runs, and Clementz contributed three hits and scored twice.
On the mound, sophomore
Frank Flores Jr. (Colorado Springs, Colo./Air Academy), who started for the Pack, allowed eight runs over 3.2 innings and had both a strikeout and a walk. Senior
Jake Olguin-Pacheco (Denver, Colo./Horizon) pitched two scoreless innings in relief before Mines broke through late against the Pack bullpen as senior
Cole Bloomer (Arapahoe, Colo./Lamar CC) fell to 2-1 on the season as he pitched one inning in relief and allowed four hits and three runs, while walking one and striking out one.
Duvall went 4-for-6 with three runs scored for the Mines, while Tyler Hummel added three hits in four at-bats, and Pina also had three hits in the win. Four other Orediggers recorded two hits each in the game.
Grady Booth, who was the sixth pitcher of the game for Mines, picked up the win (2-1) as he tossed two-thirds of an inning and allowed one hit and walked two, while Piscotty earned his first save for closing out the game in the ninth.
For the game, the two teams stranded 21 base runners as the Pack left 12 on base, while Mines left nine on base. The Pack also committed two errors to one error for Mines.
