Falcons End First Home Game Level with Northern Colorado, 10-10

USAFA, Colo., - The game between the Falcons (2-6) and the Bears (4-4) played through a tied 10-10 ninth inning and suspended the extra innings due to insufficient light. The two teams will pick up the extra innings at their next meeting. Across the game, Air Force hitters marked a season-high 14 hits and two homers for 10 runs scored and nine RBIs. The pitchers tallied 11 strikeouts to tie the staff season-high.

Christian Taylor led at the plate with a team-best three RBIs off two hits, one double and his first homer of the season. Going 3-for-4, Alex Adams notched a home run, two RBIs, and a pair of scored runs. Tripp Garrish and T.J. Oster recorded two RBIs a piece.

On the mound, Bowen Brantingham took his second start of the season and led off with 4.0 innings pitched, four strikeouts, and four runs allowed. Cranz Smelcer entered in the fifth inning and struck out two batters while giving up a pair of runs. For 0.2 innings, Davis Rhyne allowed two runs, one unearned, off three hits. In relief, Patrick Davidson threw one full inning, marking two strikeouts and two runs allowed. The closer, Easton Miller completed the last two innings with three strikeouts and no runs or hits allowed.

The Bears opened the game with a 1-0 lead off a home run in the top of one.

In the bottom of the same frame, Air Force retaliated when Walker Zapp was hit by a pitch with two outs. Tripp Garrish made his first plate appearance, sending Zapp home to level the score at 1-1.

With a lead-off home run to right center field, Christian Taylor put the Falcons in the lead. Zach Peters followed with a single up the middle and advanced to second on the next play. Coming in clutch was T.J. Oster with a triple to left center which scored Peters.

The bottom of three saw a strengthened Falcon advantage, 6-1. Adams began the frame with a single, stole second, and advanced to third on a ground out. Zapp reached base on another hit by pitch and stole second to put both runners in scoring position. On a triple to the left center gap from Garrish, both base runners took home. Taylor enabled Garrish to plate a run on a ground out the shortstop.

In the bottom of the fourth frame, Air Force powered ahead with two more runs, 8-1. The first baseman, Cam Anstey laid a single down to right field to open the inning and stole second after a foul out. To bring him around the bags, Adams recorded his first career long shot as a Falcon for the two runs of the frame.

Northern Colorado answered in the top of five, plating three runs off five hits, trimming the deficit in half, 8-4.

To level the score at 8-8, the Bears added four runs to the board, in the top of the sixth inning.

In the bottom of the same frame, Anstey was hit by a pitch, stole second, and was sent home on an RBI single from Oster to put Air Force in a 9-8 lead.

Garrish led off the seventh with a single to the pitcher and scored on a Taylor double, to lead 10-8.

In the top of eight, the Bears answered with a two-run homer, evening the board at 10-10.

The two teams ended the game in a 10-10 tie and will resume the extra innings at their next planned meeting.

Up next, Air Force will host Army for their first home series of the season. Game one is slated for a 2 p.m. pitch on Friday Feb. 28^th.

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.