Falcons stunned by Sierra

What looked like a Falcon victory turned into an extra-inning loss for the FLC baseball team on Saturday afternoon as they fell to Sierra, 7-5, at Falcon Field.  After scoring three first-inning runs, the Falcons led the entire game until a disastrous ninth inning, when Sierra scored three runs – two of them unearned due to a throwing error – with two outs to take a 5-4 lead.   In their half of the ninth, the Falcons rallied to tie the score on a bases-loaded sacrifice fly to deep center by Aidan Malm.  But the Falcons stranded the winning run at second on a ground out that sent the game into extra innings.  In the tenth, the Wolverines took advantage of two walks and two wild pitches with a game-winning two-run triple to win 7-5.

The Falcons wasted another terrific effort by starting pitcher Shane Gustafson, who allowed just one unearned run in his 6 -1/3 innings.  The loss dropped the Falcons to 10-11 in Big 8 play and they remain in fifth place,  two games behind Sac City (12-9), their opponent for this week's final series.   A three-game sweep over the Panthers would move the Falcons up to a fourth-place finish.  All three games will be played under the lights (6:00 pm), and Thursday's game will be the final 2018 home game for the Falcons.