Falcons Defeat Hastings, 21-3, in Baseball Season Opener
1/26/2001 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
The Air Force baseball team opened the 2001 season with a 21-3 victory over Hastings College, Jan. 26, on a cold afternoon at the Academy's Falcon Field.
The Falcons, 1-0 this season, scored three runs in the first inning and scored a run in all six innings of the seven-inning contest. Air Force hammered out 19 hits, including a school-record six triples. Senior Gerremy Goldsberry and sophomore Derck Kasel each had two triples. Sophomores Bowie Frost and Nelson Prouty, each seeing their first varsity action, had one triple. Freshman infielder Ryan Fitzgerald hit the game's only home run, a three-run shot to left field in the sixth inning.
All nine of the Falcon starters had a hit while five players had more than one hit. Prouty led the way for the Falcons, going 3-for-3 with three runs scored and two RBI.
Falcon junior pitcher Erik Fisher earned his first win of the season. He went five innings and allowed just one unearned run on five hits with seven strikeouts and no walks. Brad Bashore and Kyle Clinton each pitched in relief. Clinton, who suffered a season-ending elbow injury last season on the junior varsity, came back to pitch in his first varsity game. The left-hander from Plano, Texas, pitched one inning and faced just four batters with no hits and one walk.
First-baseman Ben Barnett led the way for Hastings, going 3-for-3 with a run scored. Two of the three runs scored by the Broncos were unearned as AFA committed three errors in the game. Starter Tim Moore took the loss as he pitched two innings and gave up four earned runs on the five hits. The Broncos used five pitchers.
The Falcons and Broncos play a doubleheader Saturday, Jan. 27, at 10 a.m. at Falcon Field. The series concludes Sunday, Jan. 28, with a single game at noon.
