April 27, 2012
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - Air Force put together a pair of three-run innings in the middle of the game as it defeated San Diego State, 10-7, Friday afternoon at Falcon Field. It was a contest in which the Aztecs fell behind early and eventually ran out of time before they could catch up.
The win improved the Falcons to 11-29 overall and 4-12 in the Mountain West while SDSU saw its record drop to 19-24 (8-8 MW).
The two teams scored at least once in every half inning from the bottom of the third through the bottom of the eighth (except the bottom of the seventh). Air Force's opening two runs in the third gave it a lead it would not relinquish over the remainder of the contest.
SDSU starting pitcher Michael Cederoth breezed through the first two frames before giving up the two runs in the bottom of the third. The home side added one in the fourth and three more off the Aztec freshman right-hander in the fifth before he gave way to Ethan Miller. Cederoth's final line included four innings during which he surrendered six runs (five earned) on seven hits with four walks and three strikeouts as he was tagged with the loss to fall to 2-3 on the season.
Miller, who came on with no outs and a runner on first, got a fly out and double play to end the fourth. But he struggled in the next inning, allowing three runs that came courtesy of three hits, two walks and a hit batter.
Until that second three-run outburst by the Falcons in the fifth, San Diego State had stayed close against Air Force starter Cameron White. Trailing 2-0 in the top of the fourth, SDSU scored a run when Tim Zier walked, advanced to second on a wild pitch, took third on a fly out by Chris Wilson and scored on Seby Zavala's sacrifice fly.
After the Falcons went up 3-1 with a run in the bottom of the inning, the Aztecs responded with a run in the top of the fifth on Greg Allen's two-out double and an RBI single by Spencer Thornton that made it 3-2.
The Falcons' three-run fifth was followed by a single run by the visitors in the top of the sixth that came when Ryan Muno lifted a pitch over the right field fence for his third home run of the season.
Air Force's three-run rally in the sixth made it a 9-3 contest, but SDSU answered with a run in the seventh on an RBI single by Wilson plus three more in the eighth that closed the gap to 9-7. That ended White's day, but the sophomore right-hander would eventually be credited with the victory to improve to 3-7.
Reliever Mike Kazakoff came on to end the Aztec threat in the eighth and then retired the side in the ninth after allowing a single to Jake Romanski. The save was Kazakoff's first of the season and the first of the year for the Falcon pitching staff.
SDSU's Tim Zier reached base in each of his five plate appearances, going 3-for-3 with a double, walk and hit by pitch. Ryan Muno also collected three hits including the home run while Spencer Thornton had a pair of singles and three RBI.
San Diego State and Air Force will continue their three-game series in Colorado Springs on Saturday with a contest scheduled to get underway at 1:00 p.m. (MT).