Weather was not on the side of either team in San Diego State and Air Force’s three game series this weekend. Conditions in Colorado Springs postponed any game from being played until Sunday, where the Aztecs lost what was technically the first game of the series, 17-13.
The loss is SDSU’s 13th of the season and puts them at 4-13 overall, as well as 1-3 in conference play, good for second to last place in the Mountain West. Air Force, on the other hand, finds themselves on the opposite side, tied for first with New Mexico with a record of 4-1 in conference.
The Aztecs found themselves in the hole quickly, going down 4-0 after two innings. It would only get worse, after the Falcons mounted a monstrous 11 run fourth inning to put up a whopping 15 runs.
SDSU would scratch across their first runs of the game, cutting the large deficit to 16-3. The real comeback wouldn’t start until the seventh innings, where the Aztecs would put together a mammoth run of their own.
They opened the inning with six straight plate appearances ending in either a walk or a single to bring the score to 16-6. After sophomore shortstop Alan Trejo reached on an error with the bases loaded, SDSU cut the lead in half, 16-8.
Four more runs would cross the plate after senior outfielder Spencer Thornton doubled with two outs to score two and sophomore outfielder Tyler Adkison followed with a two run home run.
The Aztecs and Falcons would both trade a run in the bottom of the eighth and top half of the ninth, but the major offensive outburst by SDSU was not enough to secure the win.
Adkison would end the day with three hits, two home runs and three rbis. Thornton added three hits of his own while scoring three runs and driving in two.
For the Air Force, Tyler Jones was the major offensive force of the day, hitting three home runs and driving in six.
Obviously, it was the pitching side that struggled for the Aztecs. Freshman Hunter Pyatt started for SDSU and gave up seven runs, four earned in three and a third innings. Junior Dominic Purpura, who came in in relief of Pyatt, recorded just one out while giving five runs, all earned.
Redshirt senior Brian Heldman gave up four, and redshirt junior Cody Thompson closed out the game by giving up one run in two innings.
The game was actually the first of a doubleheader; The second game was suspended in the top of the eighth inning with the Aztecs trailing 10-7.