Air Force Academy
UNLV*
Falcon Baseball Dealt A 21-5 Loss At UNLV
3/26/2004 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
March 26, 2004
LAS VEGAS, Nevada - Fourteen strikeouts by Matt Luca and a 11 run third inning led UNLV to a 21-5 win over Air Force in a Mountain West Conference night game at Earl E. Wilson Stadium. The Falcons fall to 5-20 on the season and 0-4 in the MWC, while the Rebels improve to 17-7, 4-0.
Luca was nearly unhittable for the first five innings, getting his first seven outs by way of strikeout and not allowing a base hit until the 6th inning. Luca improved to 5-1 on the season allowing six hits and four runs in seven innings pitched.
Losing pitcher was Falcon starter Blake Nixon (0-5), who was tagged for 12 runs, nine earned, in 2.2 innings pitched.
UNLV scored the first run of the game in second inning on Chris Bonnell's sacrifice fly that scored Ty Soto to give the Rebels a 1-0 lead.
While the Falcon bats were being stymied by Luca, the Rebel offense erupted in the third inning, scoring 11 runs to take 12-0 lead. UNLV sent 16 batters to the plate, with eight batters getting a hit.
Air Force did not have a base hit until Jon Polston laced a double down the right field line with one out in the sixth. Colton Walter then followed immediately with an infield single and reached second as the shortstop threw the ball away, also allowing Polston to score.
The Falcons scored three runs on four hits in the seventh to make it a 15-4 game. Dale Kasel doubled and scored on a wild pitch for the first run, and Geno Salazar and Travis Fugler then came around to score on Polston's single to right.
Air Force scored one more run in the eighth, as DeRohan came around to score on a error.
Six Rebels had two or more hits, Ryan Ruiz scoring four runs and Eric Nielsen driving in four. Polston led the way for the Falcons, going 2-for-3 with a run, walk and two RBI.
Air Force and UNLV resume the three-game series tomorrow (Sat. March 27) at 2 p.m.
Game notes: Freshman Tyson Graham fanned a season-high four batters... Second night game of the year for the Falcons... All four Falcon pitchers were freshmen... Air Force committed a season-high five errors in the game... Falcons struck out a season-high 16 times.
--30--
