Zimmerman's Walk-Off Double Lifts Falcons to Sweep of UNLV

USAFA, Colo. – The Air Force Academy baseball team used a six-run ninth inning to walk off with an 11-10 series sweeping victory over UNLV, Sunday afternoon, March 28, at Falcon Field. Junior Cayden Zimmerman was the hero, as his two-run double was the game winning hit for AF's first sweep of the Rebels since 2014.

Trailing 10-5 into the ninth inning, AF exploded for the six runs on six hits in the final turn at the plate. It is Air Force's second walk off this season, after defeating Army in walk-off fashion on the final day of the Freedom Classic, March 7.

FALCONS WIN!!!!

Zimmerman walks it off with a two-run double to cap off a six-run ninth, and we sweep UNLV with an 11-10 final!!#LetsFly | #FlyFightWin pic.twitter.com/CdzJUOFrPP
— Air Force Baseball (@AF_Baseball) March 28, 2021

In a windy day at Falcon Field, AF's offensive had its best hit output of the season, tallying 17 of them. It was the most hits in a single game since notching 18 of them in the 2020 season finale at Utah Valley. The Falcons had 11 extra base hits, including four home runs, the most home runs in a single game since getting five on April 28, 2019 versus Nevada.

Five players had multi-hit games, led by a career-best four-hit day from junior Braydon Altorfer, including two doubles, an RBI, and two runs scored. Zimmerman finished with three hits on the day, two of which came in the ninth inning, a triple and the game-winning double. He knocked in three total runners.

The home runs came off the bat of sophomore Blake Covin, the first of his AF career, junior Gabriel Garcia, a three-run homer in the ninth, senior Christian Gambale, and freshman Paul Skenes. Theirs were back-to-back, the first back-to-back homers since March 12, 2019.

On the mound, junior Zach Argo earned the first win of his season after pitching a scoreless ninth inning with a strikeout. Earlier in the game, sophomore Jason Shuger tossed three scoreless frames, striking out a pair.

The Rebels and Falcons traded runs in the first inning, as UNLV scored first on an RBI ground out, but AF responded with a lead off solo home run from Covin to make it 1-1 after one. UNLV answered back with a trio of runs in the bottom of the second to re-take a 4-1 lead into the third.

Following a scoreless third, the Falcons knotted the game back up in the bottom of the fourth after back-to-back solo homers from Gambale and Skenes, as well as an RBI single from Zimmerman, to make it 4-4 into the middle innings.

The fifth and sixth innings went scoreless, as Shuger worked around some base traffic to keep it a tie game. UNLV broke the deadlock in the top of the seventh with a run to put them back ahead, 5-4, with a couple innings to go. They extended their advantage in the top of the eighth with five runs to leap ahead by six, 10-4.

AF got a run back in the bottom of the eighth on an RBI triple from senior Tommy Gillman, cutting the deficit to 10-5 into the ninth. Argo tossed a scoreless ninth to keep the five-run deficit into the last half frame.

The Falcons had a little home field magic left in the tank, as they exploded for the six runs in the ninth. Zimmerman led off with a triple, followed by a walk and then the three-run homer from Garcia to make it a 10-8 game. After a pitching change, senior Cole Blatchford doubled to put the tying run to the plate.

UNLV got the first out of the inning, but Skenes singled to put two on with just one out. Altorfer then doubled in Blatchford to cut the deficit to one. Gillman was intentionally walked, and then UNLV got a pop out to make it bases loaded with two outs. That led to Zimmerman, who launched a 1-0 pitch to the gap in left center, and it one hopped the wall to score the game-winning runs, and give AF the thrilling 11-10 series-sweeping victory.

The Falcons return to the diamond next weekend, April 2-3, for an MW road series at Nevada. Action against the Wolfpack will take place with a doubleheader on Friday, followed by the finale on Saturday.

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