Rogers twirls gem, Falcons clinch postseason berth with 10-0 win

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.- Last night's crushing 13-12 loss could have taken all of the steam out of the Falcons engine. For most dugouts, the lingering effect of the kind of defeat Air Force suffered the night before would certainly have taken its toll. But these Falcons put Friday night in the rearview mirror. Now, they're staring at San Diego through the windshield.

Freshman Dylan Rogers gave Air Force eight scoreless innings while the lineup took care of its usual business in today's 10-0 win, securing a berth in next week's Mountain West Tournament.

"After such a disappointing and heartbreaking loss last night and with our backs against the wall, we needed strong pitching performance," said head coach Mike Kazlausky. "And we sure did get one from Dylan Rogers."

Rogers was spectacular en route to picking up his first collegiate win. The C4C didn't allow a run over a career-high eight innings, striking out five. Rogers' eight innings of work is tied for the longest start by a Falcons pitcher this season.

"He was unbelievable," said Coach Kaz. "And with all the pressure on him to deliver, he did just that."

Rogers' battery mate, Paul Skenes, was a force at the plate. The sophomore finished 4-6 with three doubles, scoring twice. Braydon Altorfer started the scoring for the Falcons with a solo home run in the 2nd, a prelude to his 3-6 afternoon.

Trayden Tamiya maintained his power stroke, slugging three extra-base hits. The Falcons second baseman managed two doubles and a triple with 3 RBI. Jay Thomason and Aerik Joe were both 2-4 with a RBI each.

Following Rogers eight scoreless innings, Ryan Stohr entered in the 9th and retired all three batters he faced.

"Yesterday could have been the lowest of lows, but today is the highest of highs for our boys," said Coach Kaz. "Our cadets constantly deal with failure and they always have to get back off the mat and get back in the fight. We demonstrated that today."

Having clinched the #4 seed of the Mountain West Tournament, Air Force will play top-seed UNLV on Thursday, May 26 at 7 pm MT. The Falcons will participate in the Mountain West Tournament for the first time since 2016, but first, graduation must be attended to.

"We are excited to have the opportunity to go to the conference tournament, as I am very proud of our tremendous cadets and what they have battled through all season," said Coach Kaz.

"I am most proud that our senior cadets will be announced as lieutenants, as we get to play after graduation. That pumps me up!"

Footer

The appearance of hyperlinks does not constitute endorsement by the u.s air force of non-u.s. government sites or the information, products, or services contained therein. Although the u.s. air force may or may not use these sites as additional distribution channels for department of defense information, it does not exercise editorial control over all of the information that you may find at these locations. Such links are provided consistent with the stated purpose of this website.