COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Interstat) — Tripp Garrish drove in eight runs on two home runs and a double, powering the Air Force Falcons to a 17-7 victory over the Utah Valley Wolverines in a high-scoring, non-conference baseball game Monday evening at Falcon Baseball Field.

The Falcons, who improved to 16-18, overcame an early deficit with a five-run first inning and pulled away for good with a four-run fourth, repeatedly capitalizing on Utah Valley miscues and wild pitching. The Wolverines fell to 11-20.

Garrish, the Falcons’ right fielder, finished 4 for 5. His three-run double in the first inning immediately answered Utah Valley’s opening run and began the reversal of momentum. He added a solo homer in the fourth and a three-run blast in the fifth, his sixth and seventh of the season. The eight-RBI performance marked a dramatic turnaround for Garrish, who was hitless in his previous two games.

The most important sequence of the game occurred in the bottom of the first inning. After Utah Valley scratched out an unearned run in the top half on an RBI single by Nate Strong, Air Force sent 10 men to the plate against Wolverines starter Drew Albrecht. Following a walk and a single, Garrish cleared the bases with his double to right-center. Two batters later, Cole Jenkins hit a two-run homer to center, staking the Falcons to a 5-1 lead they would not relinquish.

Utah Valley chipped away, with Mason Hamlin hitting a solo home run in the second and Kaden Carpenter delivering a grand slam in the seventh, but could never close the gap entirely. Carpenter went 2 for 4 with four RBIs, while Hamlin was a perfect 3 for 3 with an RBI.

Every time the Wolverines threatened, Air Force responded. After Carpenter’s seventh-inning slam cut the deficit to 15-7, the Falcons answered with two more in the bottom of the frame on a two-run double by Christian Taylor, who went 3 for 4 with two RBIs.

Air Force shortstop Ben Niednagel also had a standout night, going 3 for 4 with a solo home run, two RBIs and three stolen bases. Second baseman T.J. Oster added two RBIs on two doubles.

The Falcons’ 15-hit attack was supported by effective relief pitching. Cranz Smelcer earned the win, allowing one earned run over 3 2/3 innings of work after entering in the first. Utah Valley used six pitchers, with starter Albrecht taking the loss after recording just one out and allowing five earned runs.

The game defied the pregame projection from Interstat, which had forecast a 8-2 Air Force victory and gave the Falcons a 60.6% probability to win. The teams combined for 24 runs and 25 hits.

The victory extends Air Force’s winning streak to four games. Utah Valley has lost three straight and six of its last seven.

The two teams are scheduled to meet again Tuesday at Falcon Baseball Field to conclude the brief two-game series.