Continuation of March 30 Suspended Contest in Reno:
Nevada 7, Air Force 3
Friday, April 26, 2024
USAFA, Colo. - Erdle Field

Air Force 8, Nevada 3
Friday, April 26, 2024
USAFA, Colo. - Erdle Field

USAFA, Colo. - Nevada went 1-1 at Air Force Friday, finishing off the continuation of March 30's suspended contest, 7-3, before falling 8-3 in the opener of the scheduled road series with the Falcons.

The teams will continue the series Saturday at CSU Pueblo's Rawlings Field, with first pitch scheduled for 11 a.m. PT.

The Wolf Pack is now at 18-21 overall and 11-11 in Mountain West play, while Air Force moves to 19-22 overall and 11-8 in conference action.

Nevada 7, Air Force 3 (Continuation of March 30 Suspended Contest)
March 30's rubber game in Reno resumed with Nevada holding a 5-2 lead with two out in the top of the sixth inning.

Friday, with the Wolf Pack as the home team, Eddie Tierney got the final out of the sixth, and tossed a scoreless seventh as the teams went into the eighth still separated by three runs.

Air Force cut the lead to 5-3 in the top of the eighth on Aaron Reyes' two-out, RBI double, but the Pack responded with two in the bottom half to re-build the cushion.

In the bottom half, Nolan Wilson led off with a single, and two batters later pinch-hitter Bryce Matthews walked to put two on with one out. Jackson Waller completed his 4-for-4, three-RBI game with an RBI single through the left side to re-establish the three-run lead, then, with two away, Michael Ball lined an RBI single to left to score Matthews for the 7-3 lead.

Ethan O'Neal pitched a scoreless ninth to seal the win.

Peyton Fosher got the win, his third of the season, nearly a month after starting the contest. Fosher struck out six and allowed just one run on one hit. Ben Weber took the loss for Air Force, falling to 3-3 giving up five runs over four innings back in Reno.

Waller and Ball each drove in three runs, both notching two RBIs in Reno and the third in the resumption at the Academy.

Air Force 8, Nevada 3
Air Force scored thrice in the bottom of the sixth to take a one-run lead, then added four more in the seventh to take the first game of its home series with Nevada, 8-3.

After Justin Acal's two-out, two-run double put Nevada ahead, 3-1, in the top of the sixth, Air Force avoided the shutdown inning and scored three times against Wolf Pack starter Jason Doktorczyk. Walker Zapp hit a one-out, two-run homer through the wind and out to left-center, tying things up at 3-3. After Aerik Joe singled and stole second, Doktorczyk struck out Chase Spencer for the second out. But Sam Kulasingam took advantage of a Wolf Pack defensive shift, dropping a textbook bunt down the line towards an uncovered third base, easily getting aboard and scoring Joe with the go-ahead run.

An inning later, Air Force loaded the bases with none out against reliever Kyle Becker. Aaron Reyes drove in a run with a sacrifice fly, then, with Matthew Canizares on the mound and runners at second and third, Zapp struck again, lining a two-run single up the middle to make it 7-3. Joe would eventually score on a wild pitch to cap the four-run frame.

Doktorczyk took just his third loss of the season, falling to 5-3, giving up four runs (three earned) on nine hits with eight strikeouts.

Nolan Wilson started Nevada's two-run sixth with an infield single up the middle, and finished the game 3-for-4. Jackson Waller knocked in a run with a single in the fifth, tying it up at 1-1.

Seungmin Shim improved to 5-2 on the season with the win for Air Force, going seven innings and giving up just three runs on seven hits.