Friday, February 18
Charleston, SC
11:00 am MT
Air Force Academy
2
vs
12
University of Iowa
Photo by: U.S. Air Force photo / Trevor Co
Falcons fall in 2022 debut
2/18/2022 3:19:00 PM | Baseball
CHARLESTON, S.C.- The Falcons were unable to find an offensive footing on Opening Day, as Air Force saw the Hawkeyes manage three separate four-run innings in Friday's 12-2 loss.
"As something I heard from a guy named Ted Lasso, there are two buttons I never like to hit," said head coach Mike Kazlausky. "That is panic and snooze. Today we did not play well defensively and Iowa took full advantage."
Preseason All-American Paul Skenes started on the mound for the Falcons, and was overwhelming early on. Through his first three innings, Skenes struck out seven of the 14 batters he faced, scattering three hits in the process. After notching his eighth strikeout to start the top of the 4th, Skenes surrendered four-consecutive hits, including two doubles before he was relieved by Stevan Fairburn Jr. Skenes was responsible for four earned runs in his 3.1 innings of work, with his final line including seven hits and two walks.
Skenes' solo home run in the 1st inning, his 12th career dinger, stood as the only hit for Air Force on the day. Blake Covin, Gabriel Garcia, Sam Kulasingam, and Joe Thomason were the others to reach base, all via walks.
"Iowa's pitcher, Adam Mazur, is one of the top pitchers in the country," Coach Kaz added. "He pumped 96 (mph) on his last pitch. I'm glad we don't have to face him again."
The Falcons lineup combined for 14 strikeouts, as the Iowa pitching staff sat down 16-consecutive Air Force batters following Skenes' solo shot in the bottom of the 1st. Garcia broke the streak leading off the 7th inning after an Iowa error.
Air Force used seven different pitchers in the 2022 opener, with Duke Benge putting a halt on the Hawkeyes rally to close out the 4th. His 0.2 innings included a flyout and strikeout. Freshman Dylan Rogers managed two clean innings, working the 7th and 8th for the Falcons. Rogers recorded two strikeouts in his first collegiate inning before setting down the Hawkeyes in order in the 8th.
"We are absolutely not going to panic and we sure aren't going to hit snooze," Coach Kaz said. "We have three more games to play this weekend and we are going to play them."
Speaking of the rest of the weekend, the Falcons return for doubleheader action on Saturday, first against Ball State at 11:30 am MT before the Falcons attention turns to Army at 3:00 pm MT.
"As something I heard from a guy named Ted Lasso, there are two buttons I never like to hit," said head coach Mike Kazlausky. "That is panic and snooze. Today we did not play well defensively and Iowa took full advantage."
Preseason All-American Paul Skenes started on the mound for the Falcons, and was overwhelming early on. Through his first three innings, Skenes struck out seven of the 14 batters he faced, scattering three hits in the process. After notching his eighth strikeout to start the top of the 4th, Skenes surrendered four-consecutive hits, including two doubles before he was relieved by Stevan Fairburn Jr. Skenes was responsible for four earned runs in his 3.1 innings of work, with his final line including seven hits and two walks.
Skenes' solo home run in the 1st inning, his 12th career dinger, stood as the only hit for Air Force on the day. Blake Covin, Gabriel Garcia, Sam Kulasingam, and Joe Thomason were the others to reach base, all via walks.
"Iowa's pitcher, Adam Mazur, is one of the top pitchers in the country," Coach Kaz added. "He pumped 96 (mph) on his last pitch. I'm glad we don't have to face him again."
The Falcons lineup combined for 14 strikeouts, as the Iowa pitching staff sat down 16-consecutive Air Force batters following Skenes' solo shot in the bottom of the 1st. Garcia broke the streak leading off the 7th inning after an Iowa error.
Air Force used seven different pitchers in the 2022 opener, with Duke Benge putting a halt on the Hawkeyes rally to close out the 4th. His 0.2 innings included a flyout and strikeout. Freshman Dylan Rogers managed two clean innings, working the 7th and 8th for the Falcons. Rogers recorded two strikeouts in his first collegiate inning before setting down the Hawkeyes in order in the 8th.
"We are absolutely not going to panic and we sure aren't going to hit snooze," Coach Kaz said. "We have three more games to play this weekend and we are going to play them."
Speaking of the rest of the weekend, the Falcons return for doubleheader action on Saturday, first against Ball State at 11:30 am MT before the Falcons attention turns to Army at 3:00 pm MT.
Players Mentioned
IF/RHP
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OF
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LHP
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OF
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IF
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RHP
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C/RHP
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