Wednesday, March 11
Provo, Utah
11 a.m. MT
Air Force Academy
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Utah Valley
5-14
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Utah Valley
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Photo by: Eric Strom
Offense Explodes In 17-12 Win at Utah Valley
3/11/2020 3:28:00 PM | Baseball
AF totaled its season-best in runs to complete the two game sweep
PROVO, Utah – The Air Force Academy baseball team put an exclamation point on a two-game midweek sweep of Utah Valley, defeating the Wolverines 17-12, Wednesday afternoon, March 11, at Miller Field. The Falcons set a new season-high in runs scored, with 15 of those being scored in the first six innings.
The Falcons banged out 18 hits, its second most on the season, and they were spread among nine different players. The Falcons also drew eight walks and stole six bases as a team.
Sophomores Cayden Zimmerman and Blake Covin led the way with three-hit games each, including a double from Covin and two RBIs from Zimmerman. Senior Tommy Gilman had a game-high three RBIs, while also scoring two runs and drawing two walks.
Senior Ashton Easley had a productive outing, notching a triple and stealing a base as part of a two-hit day. He now has 59 steals and 15 triples for his career, which rank tied for third and fifth on the all-time AF list, respectively.
Also tallying multi-hit and multi-RBI games were junior Cole Blatchford, with two each, sophomore Gabriel Garcia, with two each as well, sophomore Braydon Altorfer, who had two singles and an RBI, and junior Christian Gambale, who tallied a pair of doubles and a run batted in.
Not to be outdone, on the mound it was a staff day, as nine pitchers total saw action. Getting the start and the win was junior John Byrnes, as he went the first two innings scoreless, only allowing one hit and striking out one. Also tallying scoreless outings were senior Jeff Gerlica and junior Joe Martinez III, as they both tossed scoreless frames, with Gerlica getting a strikeout.
Freshman Mitchell Woelfle made his AF debut with an inning pitched. He also tallied his first collegiate strikeout. Finally, senior Josh Leaser tossed the final 1.2 innings, and struck out four to tie his career-best.
The Falcons were all over the Wolverines early on, striking for three in the first, six in the second, and three more in the third. In the top of the first, Easley got things started with a leadoff triple, and was driven in on a sac fly by Gillman. AF then capitalized on a pair of errors to steal a run, followed by an RBI single from Garcia to make it 3-0 early.
In the second, AF continued its offensive assault, as back to back singles led off the inning, followed by a one out walk to load the bases. Blatchford then doubled in a pair of runners, followed by an RBI single from Zimmerman to put AF up 6-0. One batter later, a wild pitch scored a run, and then back-to-back doubles from Garcia and Gambale made it a 9-0 game after just two turns at the plate.
Byrnes then stranded runners on the corners in the bottom of the second to send it to the third, where AF continued to swing a hot stick. A leadoff hit by pitch later turned into an RBI double from Gillman to give AF its 10th run and 10th hit of the day. One batter later, Zimmerman drove in Gillman with an RBI single for his third hit of the game. Sophomore Alexander Pup continued to move the line in the next at bat, as he doubled in Zimmerman to make it 12-0.
The Wolverines got their bats going in the bottom of the third, breaking the shutout with three runs, to make it a 12-3 game after just three frames. Following a scoreless fourth, AF got one back in the top of the fifth, capitalizing on a pair of UVU errors, making it a 13-3 game at the midway point.
AF plated two more runs in the top of the sixth after the bases became loaded with no outs. A walk and HBP drove two more home, upping the AF lead to 15-3. UVU got the runs back with one in both the bottom of the sixth and the seventh to keep it a 10 run game with two innings to go. Then, in the bottom of the eighth, UVU got right back into the game with a seven-run frame to make it 15-12 into the ninth.
In the ninth, AF got some more insurance with clutch two out hitting. Gambale notched a two out double, followed by an RBI single from Altorfer to get the lead back to four. Then Covin doubled, and a muff by the left fielder allowed Altorfer to score, giving AF the 17-12 advantage with three outs left to get. Leaser then struck out the side in the bottom of the ninth to secure the five run victory.
The Falcons return to the diamond this weekend, March 13-15, when they host Big Ten foe Minnesota for a three game weekend series. Start times from Falcon Field are set for 1 p.m. the first two games, and noon on Sunday.
The Falcons banged out 18 hits, its second most on the season, and they were spread among nine different players. The Falcons also drew eight walks and stole six bases as a team.
Sophomores Cayden Zimmerman and Blake Covin led the way with three-hit games each, including a double from Covin and two RBIs from Zimmerman. Senior Tommy Gilman had a game-high three RBIs, while also scoring two runs and drawing two walks.
Senior Ashton Easley had a productive outing, notching a triple and stealing a base as part of a two-hit day. He now has 59 steals and 15 triples for his career, which rank tied for third and fifth on the all-time AF list, respectively.
Also tallying multi-hit and multi-RBI games were junior Cole Blatchford, with two each, sophomore Gabriel Garcia, with two each as well, sophomore Braydon Altorfer, who had two singles and an RBI, and junior Christian Gambale, who tallied a pair of doubles and a run batted in.
Not to be outdone, on the mound it was a staff day, as nine pitchers total saw action. Getting the start and the win was junior John Byrnes, as he went the first two innings scoreless, only allowing one hit and striking out one. Also tallying scoreless outings were senior Jeff Gerlica and junior Joe Martinez III, as they both tossed scoreless frames, with Gerlica getting a strikeout.
Freshman Mitchell Woelfle made his AF debut with an inning pitched. He also tallied his first collegiate strikeout. Finally, senior Josh Leaser tossed the final 1.2 innings, and struck out four to tie his career-best.
The Falcons were all over the Wolverines early on, striking for three in the first, six in the second, and three more in the third. In the top of the first, Easley got things started with a leadoff triple, and was driven in on a sac fly by Gillman. AF then capitalized on a pair of errors to steal a run, followed by an RBI single from Garcia to make it 3-0 early.
In the second, AF continued its offensive assault, as back to back singles led off the inning, followed by a one out walk to load the bases. Blatchford then doubled in a pair of runners, followed by an RBI single from Zimmerman to put AF up 6-0. One batter later, a wild pitch scored a run, and then back-to-back doubles from Garcia and Gambale made it a 9-0 game after just two turns at the plate.
Byrnes then stranded runners on the corners in the bottom of the second to send it to the third, where AF continued to swing a hot stick. A leadoff hit by pitch later turned into an RBI double from Gillman to give AF its 10th run and 10th hit of the day. One batter later, Zimmerman drove in Gillman with an RBI single for his third hit of the game. Sophomore Alexander Pup continued to move the line in the next at bat, as he doubled in Zimmerman to make it 12-0.
The Wolverines got their bats going in the bottom of the third, breaking the shutout with three runs, to make it a 12-3 game after just three frames. Following a scoreless fourth, AF got one back in the top of the fifth, capitalizing on a pair of UVU errors, making it a 13-3 game at the midway point.
AF plated two more runs in the top of the sixth after the bases became loaded with no outs. A walk and HBP drove two more home, upping the AF lead to 15-3. UVU got the runs back with one in both the bottom of the sixth and the seventh to keep it a 10 run game with two innings to go. Then, in the bottom of the eighth, UVU got right back into the game with a seven-run frame to make it 15-12 into the ninth.
In the ninth, AF got some more insurance with clutch two out hitting. Gambale notched a two out double, followed by an RBI single from Altorfer to get the lead back to four. Then Covin doubled, and a muff by the left fielder allowed Altorfer to score, giving AF the 17-12 advantage with three outs left to get. Leaser then struck out the side in the bottom of the ninth to secure the five run victory.
The Falcons return to the diamond this weekend, March 13-15, when they host Big Ten foe Minnesota for a three game weekend series. Start times from Falcon Field are set for 1 p.m. the first two games, and noon on Sunday.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Byrnes, John (2-1)
L: Yocum, C (0-1)
Batting:
2B: Gillman, Tommy 1 ; Blatchford, Cole 1 ; Pup, Alexander 1 ; Garcia, Gabriel 1 ; Gambale, Christian 2 ; Covin, Blake 1
3B: Easley, Ashton 1
RBI: Gillman, Tommy 3 ; Blatchford, Cole 2 ; Zimmerman, Cayden 2 ; Pup, Alexander 1 ; Wall, Zach 1 ; Garcia, Gabriel 2 ; Gambale, Christian 1 ; Altorfer, Braydon 1
SF: Gillman, Tommy 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Easley, Ashton 1 ; Gillman, Tommy 2 ; Blatchford, Cole 3 ; Zimmerman, Cayden 2 ; Pup, Alexander 1 ; Garcia, Gabriel 1 ; Gambale, Christian 1 ; Altorfer, Braydon 3 ; Covin, Blake 3
SB: Easley, Ashton 1 ; Blatchford, Cole 2 ; Zimmerman, Cayden 1 ; Pup, Alexander 1 ; Covin, Blake 1
CS: Easley, Ashton 1
HBP: Wall, Zach 1 ; Covin, Blake 1
Batting:
2B: Moralez, M 1 ; Poulsen, K 1 ; Marco, A 1 ; Arens, J 1
3B: Plecas, J 1
RBI: Plecas, J 2 ; Moralez, M 2 ; Marco, A 2 ; Arens, J 3 ; Madsen, M 2 ; Newman, T 1
SF: Arens, J 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Plecas, J 2 ; Moralez, M 1 ; Poulsen, K 3 ; Marco, A 1 ; Arens, J 1 ; Madsen, M 1 ; Hall, C 1 ; Newman, T 1 ; Broussard, G 1
HBP: Hall, C 1 ; Broussard, G 1
Game Leaders
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AB
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R
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RBI
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lf/cf
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H
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RBI
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AB
4
R
1
H
2
RBI
0
AB
4
R
3
H
2
RBI
2
Players Mentioned
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IF/OF
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