The San Diego State baseball team had its rally caps Sunday, but put them on a few innings too late.
After having split the first two games of a weekend series at Mountain West Conference rival Air Force, SDSU looked to win the final game and earn the series victory entering Sunday afternoon’s contest in Colorado Springs, Colo.
Junior right-handed pitcher Ryan Doran took the mound for the Aztecs and was in immediate trouble. The Falcons came out swinging with two singles and a double, and also drew a couple of walks. When the frame finally came to an end, it was 4-0 Air Force.
SDSU fought its way back to cut the deficit in half, scoring a run in the second by way of senior first baseman Jomel Torres’ first home run of the season and another in the third when freshman infielder Ryan Muno doubled to drive in sophomore second-baseman Tim Zier, who got to first on a base hit.
However, Air Force would match the Aztecs’ run in the third and put together a four-run fourth inning that was facilitated by Seth Kline’s three-run home run, which sent Doran back to the clubhouse after 3.2 innings. It was 9-2 after four innings.
SDSU’s offense could do little to get to Falcons starter Evan Abrecht until the eighth, when the team exploded for six runs to make it a one-run ball game. Six consecutive hits, including a two-run double by Torres, allowed the Aztecs to get back in the game.
Freshman outfielder Greg Allen would then make his SDSU pitching debut, surrendering a single run that made the score 10-8 in one inning of work. That would be the final score as the Falcons never relinquished their first-inning lead.
“I thought we played pretty well this weekend,” freshman outfielder Spencer Thornton said, who had RBIs in all three games of the series. “We just need to put everything together the way we did in the second game. We’re definitely still in a position to finish strong.”
The Aztecs fall to 20-25 overall and 9-9 in conference play with the loss. They will resume play at 6 p.m. today when UC Irvine visits Tony Gwynn Stadium.
