MINES BASEBALL FALLS TO NEW MEXICO HIGHLANDS, 10-2

GOLDEN, Colo. - The Colorado School of Mines baseball team dropped a 10-2 decision to New Mexico Highlands in the first day of the 2005 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference/Best Western Central Preseason Tournament Friday afternoon at CSM Baseball Field. The game was a nonconference contest.

Mines (6-5) took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first as junior first baseman Ryan Oliver (Littleton, Colo./Heritage) delivered an RBI single. However, the Cowboys went on to score seven runs in the top half of the second in claiming the win.

Oliver finished 2-for-3 with an RBI, while freshman second baseman Matt Owens (Highlands Ranch, Colo./Thunder Ridge) added an RBI single. Senior leftfielder Ryan Roth (Hesston, Kan./Hesston College) finished 2-for-3 with a triple and scored a run.

Lucas Hastings went 3-for-4 with two runs, four runs batted in and a pair of home runs to pace the Cowboys (7-4).

Rafael Sixtos (1-0) picked up the win for NMHU as he limited CSM to six hits and struck out five in seven innings. Senior Kevin Barrett (Lafayette, Colo./Centaurus) fell to 2-2 as he took the loss for Mines.

The Orediggers will play two more games in the RMAC Preseason Tournament on Saturday as it will host Nebraska-Kearney at 10:30 am and Mesa State at 2:00 pm at CSM Field.

-- OREDIGGERS --