Air Force drops suspended game, rebounds to win series opener over Nevada

COLORADO SPRINGS- On Friday, Air Force and Nevada put the finishing touches on the suspended March 30 game, with the Falcons unable to complete the comeback in the 7-3 loss. However, Air Force countered later in the afternoon by defeating Nevada 8-3 to open a brand new three-game series.

Air Force 3, Nevada 7 (Game Suspended March 30)
On March 30, the Falcons and the Wolf Pack saw its ballgame put to a halt after inclement weather overtook Reno. The game was paused in the top of the 6th, as Air Force trailed 5-2. The game was resumed on April 26, with the Falcons eventually falling 7-3.

Jake Greiving provided two of the Falcons three runs, finishing 1-3 with a solo home run and an RBI ground out.

Sam Kulasingam was 1-3 with a run scored, while Aaron Reyes, who entered the game this afternoon as a pinch-hitter, provided an RBI double in the 8th to cut the deficit to 5-3.

Over the course of the suspension and continuation, the Falcons managed just four hits.

Ben Weber was hit with the loss after throwing 4.0 innings and allowing five runs and five hits prior to the game being stopped. Jimmy Hebenstreit, who was on the mound before the game's suspension, continued on the bump, tossing the final 4.0 innings.

Hebenstreit surrendered two runs over his 12 outs while striking out four.

Nevada 3, Air Force 8
Opening a new three-game series in Colorado Springs, the Falcons tallied seven unanswered runs in the middle of the ballgame to take down the Wolf Pack 8-3 to begin the weekend set.

Sam Kulasingam was 3-5 with two RBIs, as his single in the 1st brought home the game's first run. Kulasingam later broke a 3-3 tie in the 6th with a perfectly-executed squeeze bunt to give the Falcons a permanent lead. He extended his hitting streak to 12-consecutive games in the process.

It was a big afternoon for the Air Force backstop, as Walker Zapp recorded the first three-hit game of his collegiate career. Zapp's 3-4 line including a two-run home run and a two-run single, as the sophomore's four RBIs are also a single game career-high. Zapp tied the game at 3-3 with his two-run home run in the 6th before providing key insurance runs with a two-run base-hit an inning later.

Aerik Joe also had three hits, scoring twice, to mark the second three-hit game for him this spring. Joe also provided a pair of defensive highlights at shortstop.

Jay Thomason closed 2-5 with a double, while Charlie Jones managed a base-hit.

Aaron Reyes was 0-2, though the junior lifted a sacrifice fly in the 7th inning.

Seungmin Shim entered Friday with the lowest ERA among starters in the Mountain West, and the Falcon ace continued his run of reliance. The southpaw allowed just three runs over 7.0 innings, as the senior picked up four strikeouts to just one walk. Friday marks his sixth start of at least 7.0 innings pitched.

Doyle Gehring, though not in a save situation, cruised over his 2.0 innings. Picking up two strikeouts, Gehring allowed just one hit while locking down the Air Force win.

A 1-1 game entering the 6th, a two-out, two-run Nevada double saw the visitors claim a 3-1 lead, though Zapp's two-run home run and Kulasingam's clever RBI bunt saw the Falcons immediately answer to retake a 4-3 lead.

In the 7th, Reyes' sacrifice fly, Zapp's two-run single, and a run-scoring wild pitch fortified Air Force's advantage to 8-3, the eventual final score.

Next, Air Force and Nevada are slated to play Game Two on Saturday, April 27 in Pueblo at Rawlings Field, as inclement weather in the Colorado Springs area has forced the game to be moved southward. First-pitch is scheduled for 12:00 pm MT.

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