No. 3 Air Force Run-Rules No. 5 New Mexico, 11-1, Behind Dillinger's Complete Game

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
New Mexico	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	2	0
Air Force	0	0	4	2	3	0	0	2	11	19	1

New Mexico

Air Force

MESA, Ariz. — No. 3 seed Air Force baseball stayed alive in the Mountain West Championships with an impressive 11-1 run-rule victory over No. 5 seed New Mexico on Saturday morning at Sloan Park, powered by Ethan Dillinger's first career complete game. With the win, the Falcons advance to game seven and will face the winner of No. 1 San Diego State and No. 2 Washington State at 6:05 p.m. PT tonight.

Dillinger was dominant on the mound, tossing all eight innings while allowing just one run on two hits and striking out five. The complete game marked the first by a Falcon since 2024.

Air Force's offense backed the junior right-hander with 19 hits, led by a monster performance from Luke Elmore. The sophomore went a perfect 4-for-4 at the plate with two home runs and four RBIs. Walker Zapp added three RBIs while Garrett Hutchins drove in a pair.

New Mexico struck first with a run in the opening inning to take an early 1-0 advantage, but the Falcons quickly responded and never looked back.

Air Force erupted for four runs in the bottom of the third to seize control of the game. Elmore opened the inning with a solo shot over the left field wall to even the score before T.J. Oster and Ben Niednagel reached on back-to-back singles. The pair executed a double steal to move into scoring position, setting up Zapp for a two-run double down the left field line. Wyatt Hanoian followed with an RBI single to cap the inning and give the Falcons a 4-1 lead.

The Falcons extended their advantage to 6-1 in the fourth. Consecutive singles from Elmore and Landon Boyd put two aboard before Oster loaded the bases with another hit. Elmore crossed the plate on a wild pitch, and Zapp later lifted a sacrifice fly.

Air Force broke the game open in the fifth inning, 9-1. Christian Taylor and Hutchins each singled before Elmore launched his second three-run homer of the day over the Falcons' bullpen in left field.

After Dillinger worked through a pair of scoreless frames, the Falcons secured the run-rule victory in the bottom of the eighth. Garrish and Taylor came around to score on a ground-rule double from Hutchins, ending the contest at 11-1.

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