No. 3 Air Force Advances in MW Championship with 17-2 Run-Rule Win over No. 6 UNLV

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
UNLV	0	0	0	1	0	0	1	2	6	1
Air Force	3	2	3	2	1	6	X	17	14	0

UNLV

Air Force

MESA, Ariz., - No. 3 seed Air Force soared past No. 6 seed UNLV on Thursday afternoon, securing a 17-2 run-rule victory at Sloan Park to advance in the Mountain West Baseball Championship. The Falcons also shattered the Mountain West Tournament single-game record with 11 stolen bases and hit a team season high.

Senior Landon Boyd powered the Air Force offense with a career-high six RBIs, blasting a pair of three-run home runs. Catcher Walker Zapp added three RBIs on two hits, while T.J. Oster and Luke Elmore each launched solo homers.

Making his first career start, Trey Rutledge delivered three scoreless innings and struck out two. Gaines Estridge (3-5) earned the win after allowing just one run with one strikeout across three innings. Davis Rhyne closed out the final frame with a strikeout.

Air Force wasted no time jumping ahead in the opening inning. Oster crushed his first homer of the season 376 feet to left field before Ben Niednagel singled, stole second, and later scored on a Zapp RBI single. After Tripp Garrish worked a walk and swiped second, he advanced on a wild pitch before stealing home to give the Falcons a 3-0 advantage.

The Falcons added two more in the second inning when Zapp ripped a ground-rule double to center field, bringing home Oster and Niednagel for a 5-0 lead.
Air Force continued to pour it on in the third. Garrett Hutchins singled and Luke Elmore drew a walk ahead of Boyd's sixth homer of the season, a three-run shot that extended the lead to 8-0.

UNLV answered with a solo home run in the fourth, but the Falcons quickly responded. Niednagel doubled before Mountain West Freshman of the Year Wyatt Hanoian singled him home. Hanoian later scored on a sacrifice fly from Christian Taylor to push the margin to 10-1.

Elmore added to the home run parade in the fifth, sending his sixth long ball of the year over the left field fence to make it 11-1.

The Falcons broke the game open with a six-run sixth inning. Hutchins delivered another RBI single before a rundown between Hutchins and pinch runner Blake Campbell allowed Campbell to steal home. After Elmore drew a walk, Boyd launched his second three-run homer of the day. Oster later scored the final run of the afternoon following a UNLV error.

The Rebels managed one run in the seventh, but the run-rule ended the contest with Air Force claiming the 17-2 victory.

With the win, No. 3 seed Air Force advances to face No. 2 seed Washington State on Friday, May 22, at 6:05 p.m. PT/7:05 p.m. MT at Sloan Park.

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