Pitching, big swings lead Air Force to win over San Jose State

SAN JOSE- Air Force leaned on pitchers Dylan Rogers and Doyle Gehring on Saturday, while home runs from Jay Thomason and Jake Greiving lifted the Falcons to a 4-1 win over San Jose State.

Thomason was 3-4 on the day, as his solo home run in the 3rd gave Air Force an early 1-0 lead. Thomason, now with four home runs this season, owns 41 career home runs, nine shy of tying Nic Ready's program record of 50.

At the plate with a 2-1 lead in the 9th, Greiving launched a two-run homer to extend the Falcons advantage to 4-1 in the top of the 9th. The senior is now tied with Thomason for the team lead in home runs.

Sam Kulasingam is starting to see his bat heat up, closing Saturday with a 3-5 line. He drove in a run in the 5th with a two-out base-hit to center field to break a 1-1 tie.

In his third start of the year, Dylan Rogers was phenomenal, not allowing an earned run over his 5.1 innings. Rogers was on the hook for just four hits to go with two walks and three strikeouts.

In the bottom of the 4th, Rogers allowed a lead-off single, though he picked up a flyout the following batter. After consecutive Air Force errors in the inning, Rogers was faced with a bases-loaded situation. In a critical moment, Rogers held strong, as a sacrifice fly and a swinging strikeout limited the damage to just a run.

Gehring entered with one out in the 6th, and did not allow a runner to reach second base over his 3.2 innings. The senior notched five strikeouts without allowing a hit, securing his first save of the season in a multi-inning effort.

His 3.2 innings stands as a season-high, as does his five strikeouts.

The win snaps a six-game losing streak for Air Force, as the Falcons move to 1-1 in conference play.

The Falcons and Spartans will meet in Sunday's rubber game, with first-pitch scheduled for 1:00 pm MT.

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