San Diego State University (6-10, 2-5 Mountain West) put themselves in a hole early by allowing three unearned runs to Air Force in the first three innings (7-9, 3-1 Mountain West). Air Force capitalized on the mistakes and defeated the Aztecs 10-3 on Saturday afternoon, March 16.

Air Force kept their momentum rolling by putting up six more runs in the fifth inning to increase their lead to 9-0. SDSU let the Falcons take advantage of more of their mishaps with multiple wild throws and stolen bases that led to runs throughout the big inning. 

The Aztecs did not go down without a fight as the bats finally came alive in the top of the ninth inning. Good plate discipline helped the Aztecs score three runs in the inning to cut the deficit to 10-3. 

Even though the big ninth inning was not enough for SDSU, getting runs on the board is always a positive for the dugout.

Infielder Finley Bates led the way offensively for the Aztecs finishing his day 3-5. Outfielder Irvin Weems was also a tough out as he finished 1-2 with two walks and a run scored.

Despite the lopsided score, SDSU outhit Air Force six hits to four on the day. 

Aztecs drop second game of series to Air Force despite ninth-inning rally

The San Diego State baseball team (6-12, 2-7 Mountain West) fell to Air Force (8-9, 5-1 MW)  by a score of 7-5, losing the best-of-three series heading into the final game Sunday. 

Air Force dominated the first 8 innings before an Aztec late comeback would begin in the ninth inning with a three-run homerun from infielder Colby Turner to make the game 7-5. This homerun for Turner would be one of his three hits on the day in just four plate appearances, also adding four RBIs to his season total.

The comeback for SDSU following this homerun, not recording another run in the game, and putting out any hope for a comeback win being in motion.

SDSU starting pitcher Omar Serrano would add to his strong season, pitching five innings for the Aztecs, allowing zero earned runs. 

SDSU baseball swept for the first time this season by the Falcons 

San Diego State’s baseball team lost its third and final game of the series against Air Force, 13-3, in Pueblo, Colorado, on March 17. 

This is the first time the Aztecs (6-13, 2-7 Mountain West) were swept under new head coach Shaun Cole. The last time the brooms were brought out on SDSU was on April 8 of last year when the team played against the University of Southern California. 

Due to weather conditions, the series was moved to a neutral site instead of the Falcon’s ballpark, Erdle Field. 

The Aztecs once again found themselves down early on in the game. 

The Falcons (9-9, 5-1 Mountain West) filed the game’s first run, scoring three in the first inning. Air Force’s Jay Thomason doubled to left center to bring in Aerik Joe. A couple of batters later, center fielder Chase Spencer delivered with a single to drive in two runs.

In the next inning, the Scarlet and Black found a way to get on the scoreboard after an RBI single by Xavier Gonzalez brought across Tino Bethancourt from third base.    

After three scoreless innings, the Aztecs reduced the Falcon’s lead to one run, 3-2, after an RBI groundout from Irvin Weems, which brought in designated hitter Colby Turner.

A half inning later, Air Force quickly was able to extend its lead to 8-2. The explosive inning began with a Ben Niednagel RBI single, followed by an RBI double to left field from Sam Kulasingam.

After an SDSU pitching change, Air Force — with the bases loaded — managed to draw an RBI walk. A batter later, Spencer hits a single past the shortstop to score another run. The final run in the inning happened due to a wild pitch by SDSU’s Jonny Guzman. 

Following an RBI double by Air Force’s Connor Christenson in the seventh inning, SDSU scored its last run in the eighth inning off a home run by Turner, 9-3. 

Air Force, once again, was able to swiftly increase its lead by four runs in the eighth and final inning. 

SDSU starting pitcher Xavier Cardenas III finished his afternoon going 5 ⅓ innings, allowing seven runs on nine hits with eight strikeouts and four walks. Other than his high number of strikeouts, Cardenas’ best highlight was shutting down nine straight batters on Air Force. 

For the Falcons, Ben Weber pitched seven innings allowing only one run on five hits with three strikeouts. 

Two-time Mountain West freshman of the week, Colby Turner, finished today’s outing going 2-4 with two hits, a home run, an RBI and two runs. 

Spencer was Air Force’s biggest contributor going 3-5 with three hits, four RBIs and a run. In only three at-bats, Christenson had 2 hits and an RBI for the Falcons. 

With the loss, the Aztecs have lost five straight games to Mountain West opponents. The team currently is in last place in the conference. 

SDSU goes back on the road next weekend, March 22, to square off in a three-game series against Hawai’i to finish out their six-game road trip.