GOLDEN, Colo. — Colorado State University Pueblo jumped out to an early seven-run lead, but Colorado School of Mines rallied late to edge the ThunderWolves 14-13 in game one of a Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference doubleheader here Friday afternoon at Jim Darden Field.
With the setback, the ThunderWolves fall to 13-18 overall and 5-9 in the RMAC, while Mines improves to 11-21 overall and 8-10 in the league. The Orediggers now lead the series 2-0 after picking up a 14-12 win in Thursday night's series opener.
Friday's second game of the doubleheader began about 40 minutes after the conclusion of the first game.
The Pack erupted in the opening inning, sending 12 batters to the plate and scoring seven runs on five hits as junior leftfielder
Jake Hixenbaugh (Atascadero, Calif./Monterey Peninsula College) got the scoring started with an RBI on a fielder's choice and then junior catcher
Jason Arriola (Riverside, Calif./Norco) followed with a RBI single through the right side and then senior second baseman
Devean Alvarez (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif./Chaffey College) had a 2-run single through the right side to give the Pack a 4-0 lead. Senior third baseman
Taehyung Kim (Marana, Ariz./St. Cloud State) made it 5-0 on an RBI single to right. After redshirt senior shortstop
Kyle Miller (Pueblo, Colo./Colorado Mesa) hit a sacrifice fly to make it 6-0, junior centerfielder
Logan Kelly (Mission Viejo, Calif./Capistrano Valley Christian) brought home the seventh run on an RBI double to left center.
Mines used a hit and error in the bottom of the first inning to plate an unearned run off of redshirt senior
Jacob Petersheim (Broadway, Va./Broadway) to cut the Pack's lead to 7-1.
The Pack added three more runs in the second inning when senior designated hitter
George Andrews (Overland Park, Kan./Coffeyville CC) launched a three-run homer to center field to extend the Pack lead to 10-1.
Mines began to chip away as they scored a single run in both the second and third innings, before cutting the deficit to 10-6 with a 3-run double from Tyler Easter in the fourth inning. The Orediggers added two more runs in the fifth to pull within 10-8.
The Pack pushed its lead back to three runs at 11-8 after Kelly, who reached on a fielding error by Mines rightfielder Jackson Babcock earlier in the inning, scored on a wild pitch by Matthew Turner, who was the third of four Mines pitchers in the game.
CSU Pueblo pushed its lead to 13-10 in the top of the seventh thanks to a 2-run homer to right field from Arriola.
Mines, though, answered in the bottom of the seventh inning, tying the game on a three-run double by Ben Leiphart and then Joe Reitz delivered a walk-off RBI single off of junior hurler
Clayden Brandon (West Herriman, Utah/Western Nebraska CC) to complete the come-from-behind victory.
The Pack finished Friday's opening game of the doubleheader with 12 hits, including Arriola going 2-for-3 with three runs scored, a home run and 3 RBI, while Andrews added a 3-run home and drove in three run and Kelly scored twice and added a double. Alvarez had 2 RBI and Kim and sophomore first baseman
Tyler Clementz (Gilbert, Ariz./Basha) each had two hits.
Petersheim pitched the first 4.2 innings and allowed eight runs (six earned runs), while striking out four and walking six in his 103 pitch outing. Senior
Alex Oliver (Grove, Okla./Coffeyville CC) worked an inning and allowed two unearned runs, while junior
Jack Novak (Highlands Ranch, Colo./Thunder Ridge) pitched two-thirds of an inning and allowed three runs and Brandon (0-1) took the loss as he allowed two hits and one run in his two-thirds of an inning of work.
Mines tallied 14 runs on 14 hits as Brody Duvall was 4-for-4 with two runs and an RBI from the leadoff spot, while Easter, Leiphart, Reitz and Tyler Pina each had two hits in the win.
Dillon Alcouffe (1-0) earned the win as he retired the lone batter he faced in the game. Will Niles started on the hill for the Orediggers and he threw 90 pitches in 2.2 innings as he allowed nine hits and 10 runs, while walking four and striking out two.
Both teams combined to commit six errors and leave a total of 21 runners on base as the Pack had four errors and left 11 runners on base, while Mines had two errors and left 10 runners stranded.
