Air Force Academy
Southern Utah
Falcons fall to Southern Utah, 14-3
3/26/2002 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
March 26, 2002
Southern Utah pounded out 17 hits, including nine for extra bases, while junior lefthander Shane Perkins pitched a complete game, en route to a 14-3 win over Air Force Tuesday, March 26, in a non-conference college baseball game in Cedar City.
Air Force, 14-13 overall, drew first blood as Brian LaBasco reached base on a fielder's choice and scored on Josh Phifer's sacrifice fly. The Falcons took a 2-0 lead in the top of the second as Nelson Prouty walked and then scored on LaBasco's single to right field. The T-Birds answered with a pair of solo home runs from Aaron Lancaster and Jona Droubay to tie the score at 2-2 in the second frame.
SUU, 3-21, pulled ahead 5-2 in the fourth, thanks to back-to-back RBI singles from McKay Wilkerson and Kelcey Kemp. AFA cut the lead to 5-3 in the top of the fifth. LaBasco led off the inning and scored on Tony Shockley's triple down the right-field line. With a runner on third and no outs, the Falcons were unable to get the ball out of the infield and score the runner. SUU scored nine runs in the next four innings for the victory.
Perkins allowed two earned runs on 10 hits with four strikeouts, while inducing 10 groundball outs. Kemp finished with a career-high four hits, including two doubles, while Lancaster added three hits - all for extra bases. Droubay and catcher Chris Nelson also had three hits, while Lancaster and Wilkerson each drove in three runs.
AFA starter Matt Kaercher (4-5) lasted four innings, allowing five runs on eight hits with three strikeouts. The Falcons had 10 hits, with infielders Brian LaBasco and Adam Howes and outfielder Nick Liegl recording two apiece. However, AFA was hampered by a season-high five errors.
The Thunderbirds and Falcons complete their two-game series Wednesday at noon (MST), at Thunderbird Park on the SUU campus.
