Air Force baseball lost to Kansas State 11-8 on Monday afternoon at Sloan Park in Mesa, Arizona, wrapping up their participation in the MLB Desert Invitational. The Falcons now have a record of 2-2 for the season, while Kansas State remains undefeated at 4-0.
The Falcons collected nine hits during the game and hit two home runs. T.J. Oster went 2-for-3 with two RBIs. Ben Niednagel contributed a two-run homer, and Landon Boyd added a pinch-hit home run. Walker Zapp, Garrett Hutchins, and Blake Campbell each drove in one run.
Starting pitcher Cranz Smelcer made his first appearance of the season for Air Force, striking out one and allowing four runs over 1.1 innings. Josh Shropshire recorded four strikeouts across two innings but gave up three runs and was charged with the loss (0-1). Gunner Gilmore pitched two innings with one strikeout and allowed one run. Trey Rutledge made his collegiate debut with 1.2 scoreless innings and a strikeout. Charlie Russell surrendered two runs in the eighth inning, while closer Patrick Davidson did not allow any runs.
Kansas State scored first in the opening inning after an RBI hit-by-pitch. Air Force responded by scoring twice in their half of the first inning to take a brief lead; Tripp Garrish led off with a double and later scored on Zapp’s single, followed by Campbell’s RBI single.
The Wildcats regained control with three runs in the second inning to make it 4-2 before Air Force tied it up again at 4-4 in the third thanks to Oster’s two-RBI single after Brooks Burdine and Campbell were hit by pitches.
Kansas State pulled ahead once more with three runs in the fourth inning and extended their lead through additional scoring plays: a sacrifice fly in the sixth made it 8-4, followed by three more runs in the eighth to push their advantage to 11-4.
Air Force attempted a comeback late in the game. In the bottom of the eighth inning, Niednagel hit his first home run of the season—a shot measuring 412 feet—after Campbell reached base on an error. Boyd then delivered a pinch-hit home run traveling 425 feet, narrowing Kansas State’s lead to four runs.
In their final at-bat, Zapp walked, Elmore singled, both advanced on a wild pitch, and freshman Gavin Hutchins drove in Zapp with a sacrifice fly during his first collegiate plate appearance.
Looking ahead, Air Force baseball is scheduled to play at Salute the Troops Weekend in Columbia, South Carolina from February 20–24. The Falcons will face Army, Navy, and South Carolina before traveling to play College of Charleston.
