Skip to Content, Navigation, or Footer.
The Daily Lobo The Independent Voice of UNM since 1895
Latest Issue
Read our print edition on Issuu
Sophomore first baseman Aaron Arruda fails to catch the ball as a Air Force player sprints to first base Thursday afternoon at the Santa Ana Star Field.

Sophomore first baseman Aaron Arruda fails to catch the ball as a Air Force player sprints to first base Thursday afternoon at the Santa Ana Star Field.

Baseball: Air Force upsets No. 1 seed Fresno State

Mike Kazlausky believes in the old adage that it’s hard for one team to beat anothe seven times in a row.

Now that isn’t exactly how the saying goes, but that didn’t matter to the Air Force head coach as the fifth-seeded Falcons upset No. 1 seed and regular season champion Fresno State 9-7 on Thursday at the Mountain West tournament.

“I’m just impressed with our kids with their grit and determination,” Kazlausky said at Santa Ana Star Field. “They came out and beat the best team in the conference that beat us six straight times this year. I’m really impressed with our boys because we battled and it was a hard fought game.”

The back-and-forth affair ended in a dramatic ninth inning.  Trailing 7-6, the Falcons managed to load the bases with one out and down a run.

After second baseman Shaun Mize struckout, Justin Graham came on to pinch hit for AF with two outs. Graham did his job and was able to draw a walk to tie the game at 7.

The very next at-bat first baseman Russell Williams came up with the winning hit, a two-run single to center field.

“There’s always a chance. We’re always fighting until that final out is made,” Kazlausky said. “Russell Williams came up with a big two-out hit to score two runs.”

In the bottom of the ninth, the Bulldogs did manage to put a runner on first after second baseman Scott Silva singled. That led to Kazluasky relieving Austin McDaniels for freshman Matt Hargreaves, who had just pitched three innings the night before in a win over UNLV.

Hargreaves made quick work of the heart of Fresno State’s lineup to give the Falcons the 9-7 victory.

“I came in confident and feeling really good,” he said. “I knew they couldn’t win with just one runner on and I just had to do my job and get three outs.”

Griffin Jax, the Mountain West Co-Pitcher of the Year, went seven innings for Air Force, allowing seven runs – five earned – on 10 hits. Kazlausky said fatigue was the reason why Jax wasn’t as sharp as he usually is.

Enjoy what you're reading?
Get content from The Daily Lobo delivered to your inbox
Subscribe

Fresno State starter Ricky Tyler Thomas gave up six runs on nine hits in just 6 1/3 innings.

The Falcons had four hitters with multiple hits and finished with 14 hits as a team. Shortstop Tyler Zabojnik went 3-for-4 with two runs and two RBIs.

Air Force (2-0) will face New Mexico (1-0) at 7 p.m. on Friday.

Thomas Romero-Salas is the culture editor for the Daily Lobo. He can be reached at culture@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @ThomasRomeroS.

Comments
Powered by SNworks Solutions by The State News
All Content © 2024 The Daily Lobo