Air Force Fights but Comes up Short in Extra Innings to Tarleton State

STEPHENVILLE, Tx., - In the final game of the series, the Falcons (10-15) battled hard but came up just short in extra innings, 11-10, to Tarleton State (19-8) on Sunday afternoon at the Tarleton State Baseball Complex. Air Force batters matched their season-high of 17 hits in a game, highlighted by two homers, while the pitching staff marked seven strikeouts.

Dawson Thrush led the Falcons offensively with a pair of both hits and RBIs, while Tripp Garrish and Van Klein each knocked a homer out of the park. T.J. Oster, Wyatt Hanoian, Luke Elmore, Garrett Hutchins, and Blake Campbell also batted runs in.

Freshman Jordan Watkins took his second start of the season, logging a trio of strikeouts and seven runs allowed in four innings. Davis Rhyne entered for two scoreless innings, throwing one strikeout and not surrendering a hit. Senior Joey Collier gave up one run in 1.1 innings, while Trey Rutledge allowed a pair of runs and struck out one Texan. Lefty Sam Hentges recorded two outs, one of which was a strikeout, before Aiden Poe (3-1) entered for two outs and gave up the go-ahead run.

The Birds put up a big first inning, scoring four runs off five hits, 4-0. Shortstop Ben Niednagel opened the game with a double and scored when Oster singled to right. With two outs, Elmore was hit by a pitch and plated a run along with Oster on Hutchins' second career hit. Thrush sent one more run home on an RBI single to left center field.

In the bottom of the same frame, the Texans responded with three runs of their own, 4-3.

Tarleton State leveled the board at 4-4 with a solo homer in the bottom of three.

Klein recorded his first career-home run to push Air Force back in front, 5-4, in the top of the fourth.

The top of five saw AF pull further ahead with a trio of runs, 8-4. Following a pitching change for the Texans, Hanoian and Garrish notched back-to-back singles. The third consecutive single of the inning, from Elmore, sent Hanoian to the plate. A Hutchins groundout advanced the pair of base runners in time for a sacrifice fly from Thrush. Campbell logged the fourth single of the frame to score Elmore.

The Texans trimmed their deficit to 8-7 in the bottom of the fifth.

The Falcons tacked on a run, 9-7, in the top of six. The second batter of the frame, Niednagel, singled and stole second. Hanoian sent him home on an RBI single out to center field.

Tarleton State made it a one-run game late in the bottom of the eighth, 9-8.

Garrish responded with a solo shot to regain the two-run lead, 10-8, in the top of the ninth inning.

In the bottom of the ninth, Tarleton tied it up at 10-10 to send the game to extras for the second day in a row.

In the bottom of the tenth, the Texans walked off the game with a solo shot for a final score of 11-10.

Air Force returns to Erdle Field for a midweek game against familiar foe Northern Colorado on Tuesday March 31 at 3 p.m. MT.

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