Air Force splits games at Service Academies Classic

Feb. 22, 2002

The Air Force Falcons began their defense of the Service Academies Classic Friday by splitting a pair of games at USA Stadium in Millington, Tenn. The Falcons defeated Navy, 11-9, in their first game, then fell to the University of Memphis, 6-3, in the final game of the day.

Senior right-hander Matt Kaercher was dominant on the mound against Navy, allowing just two runs on three hits in seven innings of work. Kaercher gave up a solo home run by John Cocca leading off the third inning, and a sacrifice fly in the seventh. He struck out five and did walk anybody.

Air Force jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the first inning with RBI doubles by Josh Phifer and Scott Winters. Phifer and Winters each drove in a run in the third inning as well, Phifer with a single scoring Brian LaBasco, and Winters with a sacrifice fly, plating Price Paramore.

Phifer struck again in the fifth inning, hammering a double down the right field line that scored Adam Howes to give the Falcons a 5-1 lead.

Phifer made a difference in the field as well, beginning a relay that threw out Navy's Dean Farmer at home to end the sixth inning and preserve AFA's four-run lead.

Bowie Frost led off the bottom of the sixth with a double over the center fielder's head, extending his hitting streak to a team-high nine games, then scored on a suicide-squeeze play as Nelson Prouty laid down a beautiful bunt for a 6-1 advantage.

Winters added an RBI double in the seventh, and Frost smashed a two-run homer over the left field fence for a 10-2 lead.

The middle of the order was on fire for Air Force, as Adam Howes, Phifer, Winters and Frost went a combined eight-for-16 at the plate with eight RBIs. Phifer ended up with three hits and three RBIs, while Winters also had three RBIs on a pair of doubles.

Navy responded with three runs in the eighth off Falcon reliever Matt Werner, then added four more in the ninth off Jason Pruitt.

Against Memphis, junior Johnny Koegel pitched seven innings, giving up three runs on six hits in seven innings. He went to the bottom of the seventh with a 3-1 lead, but gave up back-to-back solo homers and left with the game tied at 3.

Memphis' Kyle Scott hit his second home run of the game, a three-run shot, off Air Force's Scott Zicarelli in the eighth inning to give the Tigers a 6-3 lead. Air Force went three up, three down in the ninth.

Tony Shockley gave the Falcons a 2-1 lead with a solo home run in the third inning, and AFA produced a run in the seventh, as Mike Rose singled and advanced to second on a wild pitch. A sacrifice bunt by Frost took Rose to third, and he scored on a single by Derck Kasel.

Air Force (7-5) plays Villanova in its final round-robin game of the tournament on Saturday, Feb. 23 at 9 a.m. (MT). A victory will place the Falcons in the championship game on Sunday.

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