Falcons split Saturday doubleheader with Rebels

COLORADO SPRINGS- After heavy winds shifted Friday's ballgame into a Saturday doubleheader, the Falcons proceeded to drop Game One by a score of 10-8 before bombarding UNLV 17-5 in Game Two.

GAME ONE (UNLV 10, Air Force 8)
The Falcons held an 8-7 lead heading into the 7th, but the Rebels scored the final three runs of the game to close out Game One of Saturday's double-dip, as Air Force fell 10-8.

Jake Greiving was 3-5, coming just a homer short of the cycle. The junior drove in a team-best three runs in three different plate appearances while also stealing his first bag of the spring. Aerik Joe also had three hits to go with a run scored. Sam Kulasingam and Jay Thomason kept their on-base streaks alive, as the pair managed two hits each. Kulasingam extended his on-base streak to 23-consecutive games while Thomason's run of reaching base hits 14 games. Kulasingam also swiped a base in the bottom half of the 1st.

Blake Covin doubled home two runs in the 2nd to five the Falcons a 4-3 lead, as the senior finished 1-6.

Chase Spencer was 2-3 after entering the game in the 5th, knocking a couple of base-hits. Trayden Tamiya had a single and a sac fly. Landon Boyd poked a base-hit into right field 5th to drive in a run.

Doyle Gehring didn't have his sharpest command, as he lasted just 4.0+ innings. The junior allowed six runs (five earned) to go with five hits, five walks, and a hit batter. Jake Sansing entered in the 5th after Gehring walked the first batter of the inning. With the Falcons leading 8-7 to start the 7th, Sansing saw the Rebels score twice to retake a 9-8 lead.

In the Falcons half of the 7th, it looked like the hosts would immediately land a counter-punch. Joe led off the frame with a hit-by-pitch, followed by a Spencer single. Boyd laid down a bunt towards third, but an attempt to force the out at third base was not in time, as Air Force loaded the bases with nobody out. However, a Covin strikeout and a Kulasingam double play ended the threat.

Sawyer Hawks worked the final two innings for Air Force, allowing one run on five hits.

Trailing 10-8 in the bottom of the 9th, the Falcons again created necessary traffic. Consecutive singles from Joe and Spencer to start the inning saw the winning run at the plate with no outs, but a foul out, fly out, and fielder's choice extinguished Air Force's potential comeback bid.

GAME TWO (UNLV 5, Air Force 17)
The Falcons came out roaring in Game Two, as the home team built a 10-0 lead through the first five innings before eventually putting a stamp on the 17-5 victory.

Aaron Reyes clubbed his first two Air Force homers as part of a 3-5 afternoon. The sophomore backstop drove in three runs while also scoring three times.

Charlie Jones made only his second start of the spring, as the hulking freshman launched his first-career home run over the batter's eye in center in the 7th. Jones finished 2-5 with 3 RBI.

Blake Covin was a perfect 3-3 with a RBI, a walk and four runs scored. Sam Kulasingam reached base in three of his six plate appearances to extend his on-base streak to a rousing 24 games. Jay Thomason smacked his conference-leading 10th home run of the spring to cap a 2-5 day. Thomason was responsible for 3 RBI, and has now reached base in 14-consecutive ballgames.

Jake Greiving maintained his stellar form, going 2-5 with two doubles and a RBI. Chase Spencer was 2-4 with a run batted in, while both Trayden Tamiya and Aerik Joe each produced triples.

Air Force scored at least two runs in six of their eight turns at the plate, while the Falcons 12 extra-base hits are tied for the second-most ever in a Mountain West Conference matchup in program history.

Dylan Rogers was fantastic, scattering 10 hits over 7.0 IP to earn his first win of 2023. Rogers allowed just one run over his 21 outs, nine of which came via the ground ball.

Zach Peters and Ryan Stohr each tossed an inning, with two combining to allow four runs over the game's final two frames.

Next, Air Force and UNLV will wrap up the weekend series with a Sunday finale scheduled for 12:00 pm MT.

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