Utah baseball team overpowers Air Force

AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. — The University of Utah baseball team crushed five home runs and pounded out 21 hits in a 20-3 shellacking of the Air Force Academy Friday afternoon at Falcon Field.

Utah (22-26, 10-9 MWC) scored a single run in the first to jump in front. Ute second baseman Corey Shimada walked and later scored on a single from left fielder Dustin Hennis. The flood gates started to open in the second, however.

A double, single and walk from designated hitter Bret Baldwin, catcher Jesse Shriner and third baseman Erich Kemp loaded the bases. Shortstop Mike Mitchell then hit his second career home run — a grand slam to make it 5-0. Three batters later, first baseman Jay Brossman hit his ninth homer of the season — a two-run job scoring Shimada — to make it 7-0. Kemp increased the Utes' lead to 8-0 in the third, doubling and scoring on a wild pitch.

Air Force (8-39, 0-18 MWC) lit the scoreboard once in the bottom of the third. But the Utes turned the lights out on the Falcons in the top of the fourth. Hennis and Baldwin each hit two-run dingers in the frame. Shimada had an RBI double, Brossman rapped out a two-run single and Hennis also drove in a run with a base hit. By the time the carnage was over in the inning, Utah had a 17-1 lead. The lead expanded to 20-1 in the sixth. Substitute shortstop Nick Lowery singled, followed by a Burnham walk. Shimada then ripped his fourth hit of the day, a three-run jack to right-center.

Stephen Fife tossed seven innings for Utah, allowing just a lone Air Force run. Fife improved to 6-2 on the season, allowing seven hits and striking out seven. Bennett Askew tossed the final two innings for the Utes, allowing two Air Force runs, accounting for the final tally.

A quartet of Utes each had four RBIs. Shimada was 4-for-4 with four runs driven in and scored. Brossman was 4-for-6 with three runs and four RBIs. Hennis was 3-for-4 and Mitchell was 2-for-2. Both scored one run and notched four RBIs.

The Utes and Falcons will play the second of their three-game series Saturday afternoon at Falcon Field. First pitch is slated for 1 p.m.