G2: Angelo State 7, Colorado School of Mines 2

SAN ANGELO – One was dramatic. The other was commanding.

The Angelo State baseball team swept a Saturday afternoon doubleheader from Colorado School of Mines, 6-5 and 7-2, at Foster Field and lead the series 3-0 going into Sunday's 1 p.m. series finale.

"I was really proud of our guys for finding a way to win that first game," ASU head coach Kevin Brooks said. "They finished when we had the opportunity. We needed to finish after making the comeback and it was great to see. I thought the crowd played a big part in that too so it was great being here at home and putting together a win like that for them."

ASU (9-2) trailed 5-3 going into the seventh inning in the first game of the day before scoring three runs on five hits. The inning opened with JP Zapata reaching first on a one-out infield single and he moved to third on a Tyler Coughenour double on a ball which was lost in the sun by the Oredigger center fielder.  After a strikeout, David Goggin stepped to the plate with Zapata and Coughenour in scoring position. He delivered a single center field on a 2-2 count to tie the game and would advance to third on a Christian Summers double. Brett David finished the game off with a first-pitch single to left field to score Goggin.

"We knew from the very beginning of the inning that we were not going to lose the game," David said. "We got a couple of breaks and then Goggin had the big hit to tie it. I was just looking for a good pitch to drive and I got it."

"It was a huge win for us and we kept the same mentality we had last week that the game was never over," Goggin added. "We weren't able to get the wins last week, so it was important to get this win. We had a sour taste in our mouth after last week and we wanted to put the nail in the coffin in that game and finish with a win."

Goggin and David each finished the game with three hits, with Goggin and Derek Tyner leading the way with two RBI. Coughenour added two hits and two runs to the Ram effort. David had two doubles in the game. Dillon Becker (2-1) earned the win for the Rams after throwing 1.2 innings of relief work. He allowed only one hit and didn't surrender a run. Blake Bass did not receive a decision in his first start of the season. Bass went 4.2 innings, striking out five, walking none and limiting the Orediggers to three hits.

Jason Zgardowski (1-0) dominated the second game of the day, striking out 10 and not walking a single batter in a complete-game win. Zgardowski allowed only four hits and didn't allow a run after Colorado Mines put two on the board in the second inning.

"My fastball and slider were working today," Zgardowski said. "It also helped getting seven run in the game. It took all the pressure off me to go out there and throw strikes and trust the defense behind me."

The Rams finished the game with 12 hits, including two each from Nehwon Norkeh, Goggin, Summers, David and Hunter Choate. Norkeh went 2-for-4, including his third double of the season and Goggin increased his team-leading hitting streak to 11. Coughenour went 1-for-3 and now has a 10-game hitting streak going to start his senior season.

ASU started the game with two runs in the first inning coming on a Summers single to score Coughenour who led the game off with a single and Norkeh who doubled to right-center field. The Rams put the game away in the bottom of the third, putting up five runs on four hits. Goggin led the inning off with his first triple of the season and would score on Summers' third RBI of the day. Tyner added to the inning with an RBI single to left field to score Summers and Coughenour would take a bases loaded walk for another run.

The Rams and Orediggers return to Foster Field to play the series finale at 1 p.m. on Sunday.

"To get a home sweep is important for us," Goggin said. "It's great to win the first three of a series, but we need to set the tone that we can't lose games at home and when other teams come in here they are going to have to earn the wins."