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Photo by: Eric Strom
Falcons Take Series Finale at UNLV, 8-6
5/2/2021 3:33:00 PM | Baseball
AF won the season series over the current MW Conference leaders
LAS VEGAS, Nev. – The Air Force Academy baseball team claimed victory in the series finale at UNLV, 8-6, Sunday afternoon, May 2, at Earl E. Wilson Stadium. With the victory, the Falcons captured the season series over the current Mountain West Conference leaders, 4-2.
AF's offense collected nine hits on the day, six for extra bases, spread among eight batters. Senior Cole Blatchford concluded his red-hot weekend with another multi-hit day, his third of the weekend, as he finished with two knocks, including a double and two runs scored.
Fellow senior Tommy Gillman socked his first home run of the season, a two-run shot, to finish as the RBI leader. Junior Gabriel Garcia also finished off a productive weekend, as he tallied a double, RBI, and scored a pair of runs. Finally, Freshman Paul Skenes extended his reached base streak to 22-straight games after he recorded a single and walk. He also owns a seven-game hitting streak.
Junior Rob Martin earned his third win of the season after tossing three solid innings of relief, only allowing one run on three hits while striking out a pair. Skenes fired the final two innings, striking out a career-best tying three. Junior Stevan Fairburn Jr. went four innings to start the game, and struck out five while only allowing three hits.
The Falcons jumped ahead first with a three-spot in the first inning. Blatchford got it started with a double, and Skenes singled him in. After a Garcia double and walk, junior Braydon Altorfer was HBP to earn the RBI and make it 2-0. The third run scored on a passed ball to give AF the early 3-0 advantage. The Falcon tacked on another in the second on an RBI double from junior Cayden Zimmerman to make it 4-0 in the second.
After Fairburn's second scoreless inning, AF's offense continued to plate runs in the third, as junior Alexander Pup singled with two outs, and sophomore Trayden Tamiya doubled him in to make it 5-0. Fairburn stranded a pair of walks in the bottom of the third to maintain the shutout into the fourth.
AF was held scoreless for the first time in the top of the fourth, and UNLV broke the shutout in the bottom half with a run to make it 5-1 into the fifth. In the top of the fifth, Gillman ripped a two-run shot to get AF's lead to six, 7-1. UNLV got a pair back in the bottom of the fifth to keep game within reach, 7-3, with four innings to play.
The Falcons got a run back in the top of the sixth, after Blatchford led off with a single. He stole second and got to third on a wild pitch, and then was plated by Garcia on a ground out to maintain a steady lead at 8-3. UNLV got one back in the bottom of the seventh on a solo homer to keep it a four-run game with two frames left.
UNLV socked a two-run homer, with one of the runs unearned, in the bottom of the eighth to close the gap to 8-6 into the ninth. In the bottom of the ninth, Skenes went 1-2-3 to close out the 8-6 victory.
AF will be back in action next weekend, as they kick off a stretch of four-straight home series to conclude the 2021 season. The Falcons will welcome in New Mexico to Falcon Field, May 8-9.
AF's offense collected nine hits on the day, six for extra bases, spread among eight batters. Senior Cole Blatchford concluded his red-hot weekend with another multi-hit day, his third of the weekend, as he finished with two knocks, including a double and two runs scored.
Fellow senior Tommy Gillman socked his first home run of the season, a two-run shot, to finish as the RBI leader. Junior Gabriel Garcia also finished off a productive weekend, as he tallied a double, RBI, and scored a pair of runs. Finally, Freshman Paul Skenes extended his reached base streak to 22-straight games after he recorded a single and walk. He also owns a seven-game hitting streak.
Junior Rob Martin earned his third win of the season after tossing three solid innings of relief, only allowing one run on three hits while striking out a pair. Skenes fired the final two innings, striking out a career-best tying three. Junior Stevan Fairburn Jr. went four innings to start the game, and struck out five while only allowing three hits.
The Falcons jumped ahead first with a three-spot in the first inning. Blatchford got it started with a double, and Skenes singled him in. After a Garcia double and walk, junior Braydon Altorfer was HBP to earn the RBI and make it 2-0. The third run scored on a passed ball to give AF the early 3-0 advantage. The Falcon tacked on another in the second on an RBI double from junior Cayden Zimmerman to make it 4-0 in the second.
After Fairburn's second scoreless inning, AF's offense continued to plate runs in the third, as junior Alexander Pup singled with two outs, and sophomore Trayden Tamiya doubled him in to make it 5-0. Fairburn stranded a pair of walks in the bottom of the third to maintain the shutout into the fourth.
AF was held scoreless for the first time in the top of the fourth, and UNLV broke the shutout in the bottom half with a run to make it 5-1 into the fifth. In the top of the fifth, Gillman ripped a two-run shot to get AF's lead to six, 7-1. UNLV got a pair back in the bottom of the fifth to keep game within reach, 7-3, with four innings to play.
The Falcons got a run back in the top of the sixth, after Blatchford led off with a single. He stole second and got to third on a wild pitch, and then was plated by Garcia on a ground out to maintain a steady lead at 8-3. UNLV got one back in the bottom of the seventh on a solo homer to keep it a four-run game with two frames left.
UNLV socked a two-run homer, with one of the runs unearned, in the bottom of the eighth to close the gap to 8-6 into the ninth. In the bottom of the ninth, Skenes went 1-2-3 to close out the 8-6 victory.
AF will be back in action next weekend, as they kick off a stretch of four-straight home series to conclude the 2021 season. The Falcons will welcome in New Mexico to Falcon Field, May 8-9.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Martin, Rob (3-0)
L: BEAL, N. (2-1)
Batting:
2B: Zimmerman, Cayden 1 ; Blatchford, Cole 1 ; Garcia, Gabriel 1 ; Tamiya, Trayden 1 ; Covin, Blake 1
HR: Gillman, Tommy 1
RBI: Zimmerman, Cayden 1 ; Skenes, Paul 1 ; Garcia, Gabriel 1 ; Gillman, Tommy 2 ; Altorfer, Braydon 1 ; Tamiya, Trayden 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Blatchford, Cole 2 ; Skenes, Paul 1 ; Garcia, Gabriel 2 ; Gillman, Tommy 1 ; Pup, Alexander 1 ; Covin, Blake 1
SB: Blatchford, Cole 1
CS: Garcia, Gabriel 1
HBP: Garcia, Gabriel 2 ; Altorfer, Braydon 1
Batting:
2B: WILLIAMS, E. 1
HR: WOLD, J. 1 ; DENSON, M. 1
RBI: WOLD, J. 1 ; WILLIAMS, E. 2 ; DENSON, M. 2 ; KRYSZCZUK, A 1
Base Running:
RUNS: BROOKS, B. 1 ; ALARCON, D. 1 ; WOLD, J. 1 ; WILLIAMS, E. 2 ; DENSON, M. 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
5
R
2
H
2
RBI
0
AB
5
R
0
H
1
RBI
1
dh/p
AB
4
R
1
H
1
RBI
1
AB
3
R
2
H
1
RBI
1
Players Mentioned
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IF/OF
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RHP
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/ BaseballFalcons win on senior day over New Mexico
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