Baseball Falls in Series Finale Slugfest to Nevada

USAFA, Colo. – The Air Force Academy baseball team fell in a series finale slugfest to Nevada, 26-15, Sunday afternoon, April 28, at Falcon Field. The two teams combined for 47 hits as the Wolf Pack avoided the weekend sweep.

Air Force collected 20 hits on the afternoon, a new season best, and the first 20 hit game for the Falcons since collecting 21 against New Mexico last season, May 13. Three players had three hit days for AF, led by a three hit, three RBI day from senior Gabe Martinez, including two more homers. It was his second two-HR game of the season and his third homers of the weekend.

Sophomore Christian Gambale also had a home run, his third of the weekend, as well as two doubles in a three hit game. Senior Colby Brown had the third trio of hits, including a double and two driven in.

Also tallying homers were sophomore Jonathan Imperial and freshman Braydon Altorfer. It was the first homer of Imperial's career, as he also drove in a career-high three runners, while Altorfer's was his second of the season, a two run blast.

The Wolf Pack leapt ahead with a big top of the first, using six hits to score six runs and get an early cushion. AF got one back in the bottom of the first with a two out base hit from senior Rob Dau to cut the deficit to five after one.

Nevada continued to pour it on in the second and third with eight more runs. The only thing breaking that up for the Falcons was a solo home run from Martinez, his second in as many games, to make it a 14-2 tally in favor of Nevada into the fourth.

Three more runs were added to Nevada's tally in the top of the fourth, all unearned, to make it 17-2. Brown notched an RBI single in the bottom of the third to get AF up to three runs, but Nevada got two back in the top of the fifth.

Gambale homered in the bottom of the fifth, a solo shot, his third of the weekend. Nevada continued to pile on the runs in the top of the sixth, plating three more to make it 22-4. The AF bats continued to work in the bottom half of the sixth, as Brown and senior Drew Wiss both doubled in runs to get two more. Nevada answered back with two in the top of the seventh.

In the eighth, Nevada capped their scoring with two more runs. That's when AF put up a seven spot in the bottom of the eighth for the second consecutive game. It all started with two outs, as a throwing error extended the inning and scored a run. Imperial then singled in a run, followed by a two run homer from Altorfer to get the Falcons up to 10 runs.

Gambale then doubled and freshman Gabriel Garcia tripled him in. The final runs came across on a two run blast from Martinez, his second homer of the day, making it 26-13 into the ninth.

Senior Steven Plaskett fired a scoreless top of the ninth, and in the bottom of the ninth, Imperial hit a two run homer over the tall wall in right for the first of his career, capping the AF offensive total at 15 runs. Nothing was doing after that though, resulting in the 26-15 final.

Air Force returns to the Falcon Field Tuesday, April 30, to start a two game midweek series with Kansas. First pitch of the opener is set for 3 p.m. MT.

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