Tyler Stone turned in a dominating performance Friday, striking out 11 and allowing just two hits over 8.1 innings. The junior was one strikeout away from the program record of 12, and carried a no-hitter into the sixth inning. It wasn't enough as UAFS rallied in the ninth to defeat the Falcons 2-1 after the Falcons (3-9) fell in the first game of the day 6-4.
Stone was brilliant from the first pitch, fanning seven Lions (8-4) through five innings. Stone allowed just one base runner before allowing a single to lead-off the sixth, the first hit he gave up on the day. The Falcons scored their only run in the second inning.
Jonathan Bermudez singled to get things started and moved to third on
Garrett Thornton's single. With one out,
Nick Schnopp singled to right to drive in Bermudez and gave the Falcons a 1-0 lead. Both pitchers settled in with neither facing much turbulence. The Falcons had a chance in the eighth with runners on second and third with two out, but couldn't capitalize. The lead looked like it would hold, but hit batter, single, and walk loaded the bases for the Lions in the ninth. A walk and hit by pitch later ended the game with the score 2-1.
In the first game, the Falcon offense got going early in the first inning.
Pemron Burrows got things going reaching on a lead-off error before moving to second on a single by Jay Desoto.
Nick Hernandez got the Falcons on the board with a single to drive in Burrows. Hernandez and Desoto scored later in the inning on
Devin Ferrari's triple giving the Falcons a 3-0 lead.
Garrett Thornton followed with a double to bring home Ferrari and the Falcons led 4-0 after one. The Lions got three back in their half of the first before
Braeden Gould stopped the bleeding. Gould would go 5.0 innings, striking out six and allowed just four base runners. The Lions once again rallied in the sixth, scoring three runs to take the lead before the Falcons went down in the seventh for the 6-4 final.
Falcon pitching struck out 17 batters on the day. Ferrari led the offense with his two RBI between the two games while Thornton had three hits.
The Falcons are back in action tomorrow as they wrap-up their series in Arkansas with a double header beginning at 1:30.
