Air Force Academy
Utah Valley
Air Force Downs Utah Valley, 14-8
4/20/2015 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
USAF ACADEMY, Colo. - Air Force baseball defeated Utah Valley, 14-8, in its final non-conference home game of the season Monday afternoon at Falcon Field. The Falcons pounded out 19 hits, eight for extra bases, improving to 19-20 on the season.
Centerfielder Adam Groesbeck paced seven hitters with multi-hit games, going 4-for-5 with three runs scored. Groesbeck added to his conference leading totals with his 21st double of the season and three stolen bases to give him 18 on the season. With his four hits yesterday, the sophomore has eight hits and four doubles in the last two days.
The Falcons also had three hits from third baseman Noah Pierce and catcher Travis Wilkie. Pierce had two runs and three RBIs. Wilkie hit his first-career home run, scoring four runs and driving in two.
Air Force also had two hits from shortstop Shaun Mize, rightfielder Spencer Draws, designated hitter Bradley Haslam and second baseman Tyler Zabojnik. Mize and Draws both drove in three runs each and Zabojnik hit a pair of doubles.
Senior Ben Yokley (1-0) picked up the win with five innings of relief. Yokley struck out five for his first win of the season. Freshman Nick Biancalana made the start, pitching one inning. Freshman Michael Rieker pitched three innings in relief.
Utah Valley (12-25) had 12 hits in the game. First baseman Palmer Page went 3-for-5 with two runs and an RBI. Starting pitcher Patrick Wolfe (1-5) took the loss, allowing six runs in 1.2 innings pitched.
The Wolverines scored four runs in the first to go up 4-0. The Falcons scored two in the bottom of the inning and four in the second to jump ahead 6-2. After UVU scored a run in the third, the Falcons responded with two runs in the bottom of the inning. Air Force tacked on a run in the fourth to go head 9-5.
Utah Valley made it a one-run game with three runs in the top of the fifth to make it a 9-8 ballgame. Air Force scored five unanswered--two in the bottom of the fifth, two in the seventh and one in the eighth--to pull away.
The game featured two lightning delays totaling 63 minutes. The first delay came with one out in the bottom of the fourth, lasting 38 minutes. The second came with two outs in the bottom of the sixth, lasting 25 minutes.
Today's game was sponsored by the Air Force Academy as part of Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM). Both teams wore teal ribbon decals on their helmets.
Air Force returns to action this weekend, beginning a three-game Mountain West series at UNLV on Friday, April 24.
