Box Score Nevada 17, Air Force 15
Saturday, April 26, 2025
USAFA, Colo. - Erdle Field

WP: Caedon Kottinger (1-2)
LP: Patrick Davidson (5-2)
SV: Ethan O'Neal (6)

USAFA, Colo. - A day after Air Force overcame a five-run deficit with 15 unanswered runs, it was Nevada's turn to one-up the Falcons. The Wolf Pack, trailing 14-4 through five innings, roared back from the double-digit deficit to even the weekend series with a 17-15 win.

The teams will play the rubber game Sunday at 11:05 a.m. PT.

Saturday's game looked like a carbon copy of Friday, through five innings. Nevada jumped out to a four-run lead in the top of the first, followed by a double-digit Air Force run. This time, it was the Falcons scoring 14-straight, beginning with four in the bottom of the first and culminating with eight in the fifth, to take a commanding 14-4 lead.

But the Wolf Pack bats came back in a big way. Sean Yamaguchi's RBI single got one back in the top of the sixth, then, with Yamaguchi and Ball aboard, Billy Ham went the opposite way with a three-run homer to cut the deficit to six at 14-8.

Caedon Kottinger, who got his first win of the year by going 2.1 innings of one-run relief, got the shutdown inning in the bottom half to bring Nevada (24-18, 11-9 MW) right back to the plate.

The Wolf Pack jumped all over three Falcon relievers for a seven-run frame to erase the deficit and take a one-run lead. After an out to start the frame, Nevada's rally started with Taylor Holder being hit by a pitch by Marcus Downing. Donovan Ratfield singled, forcing Downing out with Gaines Estridge coming on.

Estridge walked Jake Harvey to load the bases, then issued a pass to Michael Ball to bring in a run. Yamaguchi lined a two-run single to right-center, scoring Ratfield and Harvey to cut it to 14-11 and chase Estridge.

With Patrick Davidson on, Junyhuk Kwon blooped a single to left-center, scoring Ball and making it a two-run game. Billy Ham's hard-hit grounder found the gap in the shift , getting through to plate Yamaguchi, then Jayce Dobie delivered the go-ahead blow, lining a double to the wall in the left-center alley to score Kwon and Ham and put the Wolf Pack ahead, 15-14.

The teams traded runs in the eighth, the Wolf Pack getting a sacrifice fly from Yamaguchi and the Falcons getting a run on an RBI double against Ethan O'Neal, who came on for Kottinger with a runner on.

But in the ninth, Nevada got the lead back to two on Dobie's solo homer, and O'Neal set the Falcons down in order, closing his sixth save with a strikeout of Chase Spencer.

Davidson took the loss for Air Force (17-26, 9-11 MW), giving up four runs over the final 2.2 innings.

Ham drove in five runs for Nevada, going 3-for-5 and scoring three times. Yamaguchi drove in four runs, going 2-for-5, while Ball was 3-for-5 with two RBIs and Dobie was 2-for-4 with three RBIs, a homer and two walks.