Air Force Academy
Utah
Six-run third inning leads Utah to 12-4 win
4/5/2003 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 5, 2003
Utah scored six runs in the third inning and rolled to a 12-4 win over Air Force in a Mountain West Conference game Saturday afternoon, April 5, at the Academy's Falcon Field. The teams were scheduled to play a doubleheader, but early-morning snow forced the start time to be delayed until noon. The series will conclude as originally scheduled, with a game Sunday, April 6, at 1 p.m.
Air Force, 10-20 overall and 0-11 in the MWC, struck early as Zach McAngus singled in the first and scored on Josh Phifer's single. Utah tied the game in the second inning when Matt Ciaramella doubled and then scored when Mike Basham's two-out pop fly that fell in front of a sliding Tony Shockley in shallow right field.
Utah, 14-16 overall and 4-7 in the MWC, scored six runs in the third inning on three home runs. Jared Pena led off the inning with a solo homer to left field. Ciaramella hit a three-run shot to right field and Brett Sundberg hit a two-run blast to center field for a 7-1 lead.
Mike Rose singled for Air Force in the third inning and scored on Phifer's ground out. The Utes added three more in the top of the fifth for a 10-2 lead. Pena drove in a two with a double down the left-field line. Two of the runs were unearned after Phifer dropped a fly ball in left field. Ciaramella doubled and scored in the sixth and Jake Jordison hit a solo homer in the eighth. AFA scored two in the bottom of the ninth as McAngus and Nick Liegl singled and scored.
Air Force had numerous opportunities in the game, but failed to score with runners in scoring position. AFA had the bases loaded with one out in the first inning, first and third with one out in the fourth and the bases loaded with two outs in the fifth and did not score a run. The Falcons stranded 10 runners on base in the game after leaving 12 men on base in game one of the series.
Utah starter Doug MacKay went eight innings and threw 112 pitches in a solid outing by the sophomore right-hander. He gave up just two runs on nine hits with three strikeouts. Falcon starter Jesper Stubbendorff took the loss. He went 4.1 innings and gave up 10 runs, eight earned, on 11 hits with one walk.
McAngus' hit in the first inning was his sixth consecutive hit after going 5-for-5 in Friday's game. He ended the day going 2-for-5. Shockley and Rose also had two hits for the Falcons.
Ciaramella and Basham each went 3-for-5 for the Utes. Ciaramella had three runs scored, three RBI, a double and a home run. Basham and Sundberg each had two RBI. Pena went 2-for-5 with three RBI.
--30-
