APSU Sports Information
Clarksville, TN – Junior starting pitcher Caleb Powell pieced together his longest outing of 2016 to help Austin Peay State University’s baseball team post a 6-5 Ohio Valley Conference victory against UT Martin, Sunday afternoon.
The Governors clinched the three-game OVC series, 2-1.
In the second, catcher Daniel Kerwin doubled in a run for the early lead.
Two frames later, third baseman Ryan Helgren hit a two-run home run for a 3-2 UTM lead.
But Powell settled down after the home run, retiring 11 of the final 13 batters he faced. He would work around a leadoff walk in the sixth and a two-out single in the seventh before bringing his season’s longest outing to a close with a strikeout.
Austin Peay (28-17, 18-9 OVC) rallied after UT Martin grabbed the 3-2 lead, scoring three runs in the bottom of the fourth. The Governors tied the game, 3-3, with a perfectly executed hit-and-run by left fielder Kyle Blackburn.
Next up, shortstop TJ Conroy placed a bunt perfectly down the first base line as part of a suicide squeeze play that saw designated hitter Alex Robles score to give APSU the lead. Second baseman Garrett Copeland added an insurance run with a single into left center.
The Governors tagged on another run in the fifth, which ultimately proved crucial. Catcher Ridge Smith led off the frame with a double and scored on Robles’ single into the left center for a 6-3 APSU advantage.
UT Martin (16-30, 7-17 OVC) would make things interesting in the ninth as three straight batters reached base safely against APSU closer Jared Carkuff. Pinch hitter Andrew Costello drove in two runs with a double to the wall in left center.
But Carkuff recovered quickly, needing just one more pitch to induced a game-ending ground out for his season’s fifth save.
Conroy led the Govs offense with a 1-for-2, three RBI performance. He drove in two runs with a single in the second, had a RBI on his sacrifice bunt in the fourth before earning a walk and flying out later in the game.
UTM reliever Sadler Goodwin (0-1) was tagged for the loss after allowing three runs in 1.2 innings . Starting pitcher Shane Seckinger went two innings but did not factor into the decision.
The Skyhawks offense collected nine hits, but no batter had a multi-hit outing. Helgren’s 1-for-4, two RBI outing paced the effort.
Austin Peay has a pair of midweek games on the schedule. The Govs host Middle Tennessee in a scheduled 6:00pm, Tuesday contest. Austin Peay then travels to Evansville for a 6:00pm, Wednesday contest.
