Falcons initiate run-rule in 18-8 win over Jayhawks

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.- The Air Force lineup continued its hot-hitting trend, posting 18 runs in six innings before the 10-run rule commenced the action on Tuesday to secure the Falcons 18-8 win.

Sam Kulasingam led all players with three hits in four at-bats with two of his three hits resulting in extra bases. The sophomore drove in two runs with a double in the 3rd before hitting his 6th home run of the season in the 5th, a solo shot to leadoff the inning. In the process, Kulasingam extended his hitting streak to 15-consecutive games, as well as his on-base streak to 27-straight games. The Falcons first baseman has now reached base in 38 of 40 games this season.

Jake Greiving collected two doubles as part of a 2-3 day, managing a career-high 4 RBI as a result. Greiving was given a RBI after a bases-loaded walk in the 1st before plating a run with a sac fly in the 3rd. Greiving put an exclamation on his afternoon in the 5th, rocketing a two-run double off the center field wall to bring home two runs. Greiving now owns an 11-game hitting streak while having reached base in 19-consecutive games.

Gabriel Garcia finished 2-3, sparking the Falcons offense with a three-run triple in the 3rd. Jay Thomason also had two hits in five plate appearances, scoring Paul Skenes with a double into right-center in the 5th. Braydon Altorfer lined a double down the left field line in the 4th to give Air Force a 10-8 lead, an advantage that was never surrendered.

Both sides scored early and often, with neither starting pitcher lasting beyond the 2nd inning. Kyle Moats entered in the top of the 4th with two outs and the game tied 8-8, stranding a pair of runners after a fly out to end the frame. Moats proceeded to pitch 2.1 hitless innings, retiring seven of the eight batters he faced en route to picking up his first win in a Falcons uniform.

Kansas strung together three runs in the 1st, with Air Force not far behind after a two-run opening frame. The Jayhawks immediately countered with two more runs in the 2nd, though Garcia's bases-clearing triple and a Greiving sac fly immediately saw the home team back in front 6-5 after two innings. Kulasingam's two-run double in the 3rd padded the Falcons lead to 8-5.

The visitors saw two doubles create three runs in the 4th before Moats put a stop to the scoring. With the game tied at 8-8 going into the bottom half of the 4th, the Falcons proceeded to score the game's next 10 runs, including four runs in the 4th and six more in the 5th. Chase Spencer made his third appearance of the season in the 7th, working a 1-2-3 inning to end the ballgame after seven innings due to an agreed-upon 10-run mercy rule.

Factoring in Tuesday's ballgame, the Air Force offense has averaged precisely 15 runs over the past six games.

Game Two between Air Force and Kansas will take place Wednesday, April 27, with first-pitch scheduled for 1:00 pm MT.

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