May 14, 2011
Box Score
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (UNLVRebels.com) - The UNLV baseball team rallied to tie the game in the top of the ninth, but could not hold off a ninth-inning rally by Air Force, falling 7-6 in the bottom of the final inning, evening the weekend series at one game apiece.
Air Force rallied in the ninth to break a 6-6 tie with Jon McMahon reaching on an error and scoring one batter later on Matt Thorne's game-winning double to left center, capping a rainy afternoon at Falcon Field.
The Falcons (18-32, 3-16 Mountain West) jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the fifth after Joe Robinson could not field the exchange at first on Blair Roberts' grounder, resulting in two runs. Garrett Custons then singled to right center, driving in Roberts to make it 3-0.
Trent Cook led the Rebel sixth off with a double down the right-field line and advanced to third on an Evan Abrecht wild pitch. Cook would score two batters later on Rance Roundy's RBI single up the middle, cutting the Falcons' lead to 3-1.
UNLV (31-20, 8-11 Mountain West) added four more in the top half of the seventh, taking their first lead of the game at 5-3. Brandon Bayardi's two-run double drove in Cook and Scott Dysinger, tying the game at 3-3. After Travis Feiner drew a walk to put runners on first and second, the Falcons turned to the pen, bringing in Kincaid Koehler. Koehler walked Ryan Scott to load the bases before Danny Higa singled through the left side, scoring a pair of runs.
The Falcons answered in the bottom of the seventh, knotting the game up at 5-5, scoring on a throwing error by Scott and a RBI sacrifice bunt by McMahon. Air Force then took the lead at 6-5 the following inning on an RBI single down the left field line by Patrick Lobo.
Down a run in the ninth, Roundy started the rally with a one-out single up the middle. After Higa struck out swinging, Hunter Beaty's pinch-hit single through the right side gave UNLV runners on the corners. Scott Berke singled in the tying run with a base knock to right field.
UNLV and Air Force will finish the weekend series tomorrow with first pitch slated for 11 a.m. PT at Falcon Field.
