Baseball: Falcons conclude season with loss to UNLV

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LAS VEGAS (AFPN) --  Keith Smith's third home run of the game rallied UNLV to a 13-12 walk-off win over Air Force May 19 at Earl E. Wilson Stadium. The Falcons conclude the 2007 season with an 8-44 overall record and 0-23 mark in Mountain West Conference play.

After rallying back with four runs in the eighth inning to take a 12-10 lead, Air Force looked poised to win their first conference game of the season. Smith, who went 3-for-6 with six RBI, provided the heroics, however, for UNLV (22-34, 10-14), taking an 0-1 pitch from Falcon closer David Miller deep for the three-run homer.

UNLV had 19 hits in the game with Smith, Blake Gailen and Braden Walker with three apiece. Rebel closer Marc Baca (3-3) earned the win in relief. UNLV starter Matt Hutchison was chased from the game after surrendering five runs without recording a single out.

Air Force had 16 hits in the game. Geno Salazar and K.J. Randhawa both had three hits for the Falcons. Karl Bolt, Tyler McBride, Chay Derbigny and Matt Alexander also had two hits. Alexander drove in three runs and McBride and Salazar had two RBI.

Miller (1-2) took the loss in relief for the Falcons. Mitch Brown also pitched in relief. Falcon starter Jake Petro went 4.2 innings, allowing seven runs off 10 hits.

The wild game was a seesaw affair with four lead changes throughout.

Air Force opened the game by scoring five runs in the first but UNLV came right back with three in the bottom of the inning to make it a 5-3 game. The Rebels chipped away at the Falcons' lead with a run in the fourth and took the lead with three runs in the fifth to make it a 7-5 game.

After the Falcons and Rebels traded runs in the sixth, the Falcons tied the game up with two runs in the seventh to make it 8-8. UNLV then game right back with two in the bottom of the inning to make it a 10-8 game.

The Falcons came right back with four runs, all with two outs, in the eighth to retake a 12-10 lead. Matt Alexander had a clutch two-out, two-RBI single to center to tie the game. Ben Ausbun then followed up with a double to drive in Alexander for the lead. Ausbun then came around to score on a wild pitch and throwing error at third base.

Four Falcon seniors, Karl Bolt, Mitch Brown, Joe Peterson and Geno Salazar, concluded their Air Force baseball careers.

Randhawa finished the season batting .405 in MWC play, the first Falcon to bat over .400 in MWC play since Mike Thiessen batted .435 in 1999 (Brian LaBasco batted .449 in 2002 for the Falcons, but did not have enough at bats (49 in 15 games) to officially qualify for season marks).

Bolt finished his career with a 12-game hitting streak, tying his career best which he also did as a junior.

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