Air Force Academy

GREELEY, Colo. - The Air Force baseball team (5-17) split a doubleheader at Northern Colorado (7-21) Tuesday afternoon at Jackson Ballpark. The Falcons took game one, 6-3, and the Bears won the second game, 15-6.

In the opening game, the Falcons jumped out an early 5-0 lead and hung on to win 6-3. Air Force cranked out seven hits in the first two innings to build the big lead.

In the first inning of game one, Karl Bolt doubled to knock-in Geno Salazar from second. Dustin Smith then grounded out to score Matt Ghigna from third to go ahead 2-0.

The Falcons scored all three of their runs with two outs in the second inning to jump out to the big 5-0 lead. Reid Lamson doubled to left-center to score Dale Kasel, who doubled earlier in the inning. Lamson then came around to score, along with Salazar, on Ghigna's single to left.

Bolt then singled up the middle to knock UNC starter Craig Ayers out of the game with two outs in the second. Ayers (0-7) was tagged for five runs on seven hits in 1.2 innings of work.

Northern Colorado came back with two runs in the third off Mitch Brown to make it a 5-2 game. UNC then scored a run in the fourth to climb to within two runs. Kyle DePierre, who relieved Brown in the fourth, pitched a scoreless fifth and gave way to closer Sam Rosener, who pitched two scoreless innings for his second save of the season.

The Falcons added an insurance run in the top of the seventh as Price Paramore singled to right to drive in Troy Jeffers, who came into pinch run for Bolt, who doubled to right to lead off the inning.

Air Force had 12 hits in the game, led by Bolt and Ghigna. Bolt went 3-for-3 with a pair of doubles and Ghigna was 3-for-4 with two RBI and a run scored.

Falcon starter Paul Pratt (2-5), who was predetermined to only go two innings, earned his second win of the season, holding the Bears to two hits in a scoreless two innings of work.

In game two, an eight run sixth inning helped UNC to a 15-6 win. The Bears also had 17 hits while the Falcons self-destructed defensively with five errors.

The Falcons led early-on 1-0 after the first inning, but UNC rallied with two runs in the second. After Air Force tied the game up in the third on Karl Bolt's seventh homer of the season. Again, the Bears answered right back in the bottom of the inning with three runs off John Meyers (0-2) to retake the lead at 5-2.

Dustin Smith hit his second-career homer with a solo blast in the fifth to make it a 5-3 game. UNC scored two in the bottom of the fifth to make it 7-3.

Northern Colorado then put the game out of reach with eight runs in the sixth inning to jump ahead 15-3. The Falcons made it 15-6 with Troy Jeffers clearing the bases with a bases-loaded triple in the top of the seventh.

AFA had 10 hits in the game with Smith collecting three and Bolt and Jeffers with two hits apiece. John Meyers took the loss in relief. Falcon starter Jeff Tetrault went two innings, allowing two runs on two hits. Mike Garrison, Price Paramore and Andrew Goss also saw action in relief.

The Falcons return to action Thurs.-Sat., March 31-April 2 at BYU. The Thursday and Friday games begin at 7 p.m., while the Saturday game begins at 8 p.m.

Game One Notes: Senior Nathan DeRohan did not start, snapping a string of 76 consecutive games started...The Falcons played their sixth errorless game of the season...the Falcons tied a season-high with five doubles...Dale Kasel had his first multi-hit game of the season...Brent Tittle hit his fifth double of the season.

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