Air Force Academy
New Mexico*
Air Force Baseball Trounced By New Mexico, 31-11
4/17/2004 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 17, 2004
USAF ACADEMY, Colo. - In what resembled a football game-like score, New Mexico (14-19-1, 10-4 MWC) pounded out 29 hits en route to a lopsided 31-11 win over Air Force (5-29, 0-10 MWC) in a Mountain West Conference baseball game Saturday afternoon at Falcon Field. The two teams combined for 42 runs and 43 hits in a nine-inning game that went four hours and seven minutes.
The Lobos scored seven runs in the first, 12 in the fifth and six in the seventh. Ryan Barba, Joe Salas and Daniel Stovall each had five hits for New Mexico, which had 12 extra base hits in the game. Salas also had four doubles and Stovall homered twice. Barba and Stovall each had five RBI.
Winning pitcher for the Lobos was Danny Ray Herrera (3-4), who gave up six runs in five innings, while fanning nine in the start. Air Force starter Kyle DePierre fell to 0-2 on the season, allowing seven runs on four hits and five walks in just two-thirds innings pitched.
The Falcons had 14 hits on the day, led by Brent Tittle, Matt Musser and Nathan DeRohan. Tittle went 3-for-5, Musser scored four runs and DeRohan went 2-for-3 with three RBI.
New Mexico scored seven in the first and one more in the second to jump out to an 8-0 lead. The Falcons scored a pair or runs in the third to make it a 8-2 game. After the Lobos scored two more in the top of the fourth, the Falcons answered back with four runs to make it a 10-6 game.
New Mexico then scored 12 runs in the fifth to make it a 22-6 game. The Lobos sent 17 batters to the plate, getting 11 hits and two home runs in the inning.
UNM tacked on two runs in the sixth, six runs in the seventh and one more in the eighth. Air Force scored four in the eighth and one in the ninth.
The two teams also combined to throw six wild pitches and hit five batters. Barba, Josh Mader and Jeff Grady also homered for New Mexico.
The Falcons and Lobos conclude the series tomorrow, (Sunday) April 18, at noon back at Falcon Field.
Game Notes: Jon Polston extended his hitting streak to six games with his leadoff single in the third inning... The temperature at first pitch was 73 degrees and sunny.
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