MESA, Ariz. — In the opening game of the 2026 Credit Union 1 Mountain West Baseball Championship, Air Force (26-26, 15-9 MW) run ruled UNLV (30-25, 11-13 MW) with a decisive 17-2 victory at Sloan Park in Mesa, Arizona.
The Falcons launched four home runs and stole 11 bases, setting a Mountain West tournament single-game record for stolen bases. The 17 runs are the most by Air Force in a Mountain West tournament game.
Air Force opened the scoring in the first inning with a T.J. Oster home run to left field, followed by a Walker Zapp RBI single down the left field line. Three batters later, Tripp Garrish stole home to give the Falcons a three-run lead. The Falcons scored in every inning except the seventh, with a six-run sixth inning sealing the win. The Rebels managed six hits and one home run but could not overcome Air Force’s relentless scoring.
Falcon senior Landon Boyd led the game with six RBIs on two home runs. He also scored two runs. Ben Niednagel, a second-team All-MW honoree, led both teams with three hits.
Air Force’s Gaines Estridge earned the win on the mound, pitching three innings and allowing one earned run.
The Falcons will take on No. 2 seed Washington State on Friday, May 22 at 6:05 p.m. MST. The Cougars won two of three contests earlier this month.
Visit the Championship Central page for more information on the tournament, including where to watch, official brackets and more.
