Baseball: Falcons fall to No. 28 TCU, 15-5

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AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. (AFNEWS) --  Air Force lost a 15-5 Mountain West Conference baseball game to No. 28 TCU on a frigid April 6 afternoon. The temperature was a balmy 27 degrees at first pitch. The Falcons fell to 6-26, 0-7 and the Horned Frogs improved to 23-9, 7-1.

Big innings continued to hurt AFA as TCU scored four runs in the third, three in the seventh and five in the ninth. The Frogs had 11 hits in the game and took advantage of eight Falcon walks. Austin Adams led the way for TCU, going 3-for-4 with a pair of home runs and three RBI.

Air Force had 10 hits in the game and was led by senior second baseman Geno Salazar. Salazar went 3-for-4 on the day, drilling a three-run homer to go with four RBI. Freshman Ben Ausbun also had a solid day at the plate, going 2-for-2 with two walks. Freshman K.J. Randhawa also had two hits for the second-consecutive day.

TCU starter Chris Johnson (6-2) earned the win, holding the Falcons to two runs in five innings pitched. Johnson gave up six hits, walked four and struck out two. Chance Corgan and Cody Dunbar both pitched two innings of relief for the Frogs.

AFA starter Jake Petro (3-5) took the loss, allowing six runs off five hits in 3.1 innings of work. Petro also walked four and struck out four in the loss. Mike Ruvolo appeared in his seventh consecutive MWC game, going five innings in relief, allowing eight runs, four earned. Joe Peterson pitched two-thirds of an inning in relief also.

The Falcon jumped out to an early 2-0 lead thanks to runs in the first and second innings. Salazar singled to drive in Daniel Walker in the first and then Randhawa scored on a throwing error on Chay Derbigny's grounder to the third baseman.

TCU jumped ahead 4-2 with four runs in the third, capped-off with a two-run homer off the left field foul pole by Allen, and never looked back. The Frogs tacked on two runs in the fourth and one in the top of the fifth to go ahead 7-2.

Salazar put the Falcons back in the game in the bottom of the fifth, as he deposited an offering from Corgan over the scoreboard for this third homer of the season, and making it a 7-5 game. 

The Frogs responded with three runs in the seventh and five in the ninth to put the game out of reach.

The Falcons stole five bases in the game, the second time they have swiped five bases against the Frogs. Through five games against TCU, AFA has stolen 16 bases in 18 attempts.

Air Force and TCU cap-off the series at noon, Sat., April 7, back at Falcon Field.

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