Baseball: Air Force drops games to New Mexico

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U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. (AFNEWS) --  The Air Force Falcon baseball team (6-29, 0-10) dropped a pair of games to New Mexico (18-21, 6-6) April 16 at Falcon Field. The Lobos took the second game of the series, 17-13, and swept the series with a 17-8 win in game three.

The first game began in the 11th inning as the two teams wrapped up a 12-12 tie ballgame that was called in the 10th inning due to darkness on Sunday night. New Mexico scored five runs in the top-half of the 11th and went on to win 17-13.

The game was a wild affair as the Lobos scored in only two of the innings. UNM put up 12 runs off 14 hits in the fourth inning.

Air Force actually led 3-0 to start the game and ended up rallying from a nine-run deficit to tie the game up in the ninth. The Falcons scored two in the fourth, three in the sixth and four in the ninth to tie the game. Highlighting the rally was Karl Bolt's two-out, two-strike double to right center that scored two runs to tie the game up in the ninth.

New Mexico had 22 hits in the game as four players recorded three hits. Matt Foote drove in four runs and Jay Russell and Drew McDonald also had three RBI. Jordan Pacheco hit three doubles and scoring two runs.

Air Force had season high's in runs scored and hits. The Falcons pounded out 17 hits in the game, led by Chay Derbigny who went 4-for-6 with three runs and two RBI. Bolt went 3-for-4 with four RBI and Ben Ausbun went 3-for-6 with two doubles. Addison Gentry also added two hits and two RBI.

Falcon starter Michael Ruvolo (0-4) took the loss, pitching the 11th inning. Air Force starter Alex Truesdale went 3.2 innings, allowing 10 runs off 11 hits.

Lobo starter Adam Skelton went five innings, allowing five runs off 10 hits. Scott Gracey (1-1), who started the game at shortstop, earned the win in relief for New Mexico.

In the second game, New Mexico utilized two monster innings, to pound out a 17-8 win. The game started out as a pitchers duel but escalated into a hitting-fest late in the game as the two teams combined to score 22 runs in the final three innings.

New Mexico scored two runs in the second and Lobo starter Jacob Norton held the Falcons scoreless till the sixth inning when they scored one run to make it a 2-1 game.

UNM then scored nine runs in the seventh to go ahead 11-1. But Air Force responded with seven runs in the eighth to make it a 11-8 game. The Lobos came right back however, scoring six runs in the ninth.

New Mexico had 21 hits in the game, led by Daniel Stovall who went 5-for-7 with a homer and four RBI. Foote also did some damage for the Lobos, going 2-for-5 with a three-run home run. Foote ended the weekend with 11 RBI in the three games.

Air Force had nine hits in the game. Freshman Tyler McBride went 2-for-2 with two doubles and three RBI, all in the eighth inning as a pinch hitter. Derbigny and Matt Alexander also had two hits and Ben Ausbun drove in a pair of runs.

Falcon starter Jake Petro (3-6) took the loss, allowing four runs in six innings of work. Norton (2-6) earned the win for UNM, holding the Falcons to one run in seven innings, striking out five.

Air Force has little time to rest as they play host to Colorado Christian April 17, back at Falcon Field.

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