Saturday, April 10
Fresno, Calif.
2:30 p.m. MT
Air Force Academy
at
Fresno State
Falcons Flock to Fresno to Battle The Bulldogs
4/9/2021 3:00:00 PM | Baseball
Air Force enters the weekend winners of six of the last seven and are in third place in the MW
Air Force Falcons (12-9, 6-6 MW) at Fresno State Bulldogs (7-14, 4-8 MW)
April 10-11 | Bob Bennett Stadium
Falcons Flock to Fresno to Battle the Bulldogs
The Air Force Academy baseball team remains on the road for a three-game series against MW foe Fresno State, April 10-11 at Bob Bennett Stadium. The Falcons and Bulldogs will play a DH on Saturday starting at 2:30 p.m. MT, followed by the series finale on Sunday, also at 2:30 p.m. MT.
Following Along At Home
All three games will have a live stream on the MW Network, as well as audio on the FS website. There will also be live stats on Statbroadcast. As always, fans can follow along on Twitter, @AF_Baseball.
Last Week In Review
Last weekend, AF took two of three from Nevada in a series in Reno, winning the doubleheader by scores of 2-1 and 7-5. AF fell in the finale, 15-9.
Byrnes Named MW Pitcher of the Week...Again
Senior pitcher John Byrnes was named the Mountain West Conference Baseball Pitcher of the Week for the period ending April 4, the conference announced, Monday, April 5. It is the second weekly award of Byrnes' season and the third for the Falcons in 2021.
Byrnes made the start in the 2-1 series opening win over Nevada, April 2, and went the first five innings, only allowing one run on three hits while striking out a career-best eight batters.
Comeback Kids
In each of Air Force's last three wins, AF has gained the lead in the ninth inning. In the series finale vs. UNLV, AF won on a walk off double from junior Cayden Zimmerman.
Then in the series opening DH sweep of Nevada, AF got a solo homer from freshman Paul Skenes in the top of the ninth, and went on to win 2-1. Then in the nightcap, AF got a go-ahead grand slam from junior Gabriel Garcia and eventually won, 7-5.
Saving the Best for Last
AF has had some late inning magic in 2021, with two walk off wins and five wins where the winning run was scored in the ninth inning or later. In fact, AF has out-scored its opponents by a 22-7 margin in the ninth inning or later.
Winning the Tight Ones
With another one-run win in the series victory over UNLV, AF moved to 5-0 on the season in one-run games. This includes two walk-off wins to win by one run.
The Do It All Kid
Freshman Paul Skenes has been extremely versatile for the Falcons this season, as he has made starts at catcher (8), first base (2), and DH (11). He has also made his seven pitching appearances in games in which he started in the batting lineup, notching a win and four saves, which leads the MW.
Going Streaking
Senior Cole Blatchford owns a 16-game reached streak entering the weekend. The pre-season All-MW Conference selection is having a stellar start to his final campaign in the Blue and Silver, as he is batting .329 with an OPS of .819.
Pair of Winning Streaks
This season, AF has a winning streak of five games and another of six games in a row. It is the first time since 2016 the Falcons have had two separate five-plus game winning streaks. In addition, the six-game streak all came against MW opponents, marking the first time in program history the Falcons have won six-straight games al over MW competition.
On the Horizon
The Falcons remain on the road for a pair of midweek games against the Kansas Jayhawks, April 13 and 14. First pitch on Tuesday is set for 2 p.m. MT, while the start time on Wednesday will be 12 p.m. MT.
April 10-11 | Bob Bennett Stadium
Falcons Flock to Fresno to Battle the Bulldogs
The Air Force Academy baseball team remains on the road for a three-game series against MW foe Fresno State, April 10-11 at Bob Bennett Stadium. The Falcons and Bulldogs will play a DH on Saturday starting at 2:30 p.m. MT, followed by the series finale on Sunday, also at 2:30 p.m. MT.
Following Along At Home
All three games will have a live stream on the MW Network, as well as audio on the FS website. There will also be live stats on Statbroadcast. As always, fans can follow along on Twitter, @AF_Baseball.
Last Week In Review
Last weekend, AF took two of three from Nevada in a series in Reno, winning the doubleheader by scores of 2-1 and 7-5. AF fell in the finale, 15-9.
Byrnes Named MW Pitcher of the Week...Again
Senior pitcher John Byrnes was named the Mountain West Conference Baseball Pitcher of the Week for the period ending April 4, the conference announced, Monday, April 5. It is the second weekly award of Byrnes' season and the third for the Falcons in 2021.
Byrnes made the start in the 2-1 series opening win over Nevada, April 2, and went the first five innings, only allowing one run on three hits while striking out a career-best eight batters.
Comeback Kids
In each of Air Force's last three wins, AF has gained the lead in the ninth inning. In the series finale vs. UNLV, AF won on a walk off double from junior Cayden Zimmerman.
Then in the series opening DH sweep of Nevada, AF got a solo homer from freshman Paul Skenes in the top of the ninth, and went on to win 2-1. Then in the nightcap, AF got a go-ahead grand slam from junior Gabriel Garcia and eventually won, 7-5.
Saving the Best for Last
AF has had some late inning magic in 2021, with two walk off wins and five wins where the winning run was scored in the ninth inning or later. In fact, AF has out-scored its opponents by a 22-7 margin in the ninth inning or later.
Winning the Tight Ones
With another one-run win in the series victory over UNLV, AF moved to 5-0 on the season in one-run games. This includes two walk-off wins to win by one run.
The Do It All Kid
Freshman Paul Skenes has been extremely versatile for the Falcons this season, as he has made starts at catcher (8), first base (2), and DH (11). He has also made his seven pitching appearances in games in which he started in the batting lineup, notching a win and four saves, which leads the MW.
Going Streaking
Senior Cole Blatchford owns a 16-game reached streak entering the weekend. The pre-season All-MW Conference selection is having a stellar start to his final campaign in the Blue and Silver, as he is batting .329 with an OPS of .819.
Pair of Winning Streaks
This season, AF has a winning streak of five games and another of six games in a row. It is the first time since 2016 the Falcons have had two separate five-plus game winning streaks. In addition, the six-game streak all came against MW opponents, marking the first time in program history the Falcons have won six-straight games al over MW competition.
On the Horizon
The Falcons remain on the road for a pair of midweek games against the Kansas Jayhawks, April 13 and 14. First pitch on Tuesday is set for 2 p.m. MT, while the start time on Wednesday will be 12 p.m. MT.
Players Mentioned
IF/OF
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RHP
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OF
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C/RHP
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IF/OF
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