Falcons Pick Up Solid 7-1 Win at UT Arlington

ARLINGTON, TX., - Air Force baseball (3-8) surged back into the win column Monday afternoon, powering past UT Arlington, 7-1, at Clay Gould Ballpark. The Falcons controlled the game from start to finish, piling up six RBIs on nine hits while a trio of pitchers combined for nine strikeouts.

Walker Zapp paced the offense, going 3-for-4 with an RBI and finishing just a home run shy of the cycle. Center fielder Kayden Bradshaw added two RBIs with a pair of hits, while Landon Boyd, Luke Elmore, and Ben Niednagel each drove in a run.

Making his first collegiate start, Aiden Poe (1-0) delivered a standout performance, tossing 4.1 innings with six strikeouts, both career highs, while allowing no earned runs to pick up his first win. Poe worked efficiently, retiring the side in order in both the first and third innings. Marcus Downing followed with two hitless innings, and freshman Trey Rutledge closed the game with 2.2 strong frames, striking out three and surrendering just one hit.

The Falcons wasted no time jumping on the scoreboard. Tripp Garrish opened the game with a walk and came around to score on Zapp's triple, his first of the season. Zapp then crossed the plate on a Boyd single to give Air Force a 2-0 edge in the first.

Air Force added another run, 3-0, in the bottom of the second when Niednagel walked, stole second, advanced to third on a throwing error, and scored on Bradshaw's single to left.

The momentum continued in the third as Christian Taylor reached on a hit-by-pitch, stole second, and scored on Elmore's double. Bradshaw followed with another RBI single, pushing the lead to 5-0.

The Mavericks scratched across a run in the bottom of the fifth to break the shutout, 5-1, but the Falcons' pitching staff held firm the rest of the way.

After two scoreless innings, Air Force put the game out of reach in the eighth. Elmore doubled on the first pitch he saw and scored on Niednagel's double down the left-field line. Following a pitching change, Bradshaw reached on a hit-by-pitch, stole second, advanced to third, and raced home on a wild pitch, showcasing aggressive baserunning to seal the 7-1 advantage.

The defense capped the afternoon with a clean, three-up, three-down ninth inning.

Air Force will return to Texas for a three-game road series at Baylor from March 6–8 at Magnolia Field at Baylor Ballpark.

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