Stillwater, OK – Gus Freeman hit his first home run as a Governor, but the Austin Peay State University (APSU) baseball team could not cool off a hot-hitting No. 12 Oklahoma State club and dropped a 19-2 decision in seven innings Friday night at O’Brate Stadium.
Oklahoma State (6-3) found its rhythm offensively in the first four innings. The Cowboys posted all 19 runs and 18 hits in the opening four frames, striking for six runs in the first and 10 more in the fourth.
Austin Peay (2-7) broke through in the fourth when first baseman Jaden Brown reached on a two-out walk and then moved to third base on successive wild pitches. Catcher Trevor Conley delivered a double off the wall in right field to provide the first run.
Freeman supplied Austin Peay State University’s second run with his leadoff pinch-hit home run in the seventh to close the day’s scoring.
Conley went 2-for-3 with an RBI, while designated hitter Lyle Miller-Green and Freeman provided a hit each to cap APSU’s four-hit outing.
OSU first baseman David Mendham went 4-for-4 with three RBI, and left fielder Nola Schbart was 4-for-5 with three RBI. Shortstop Marcus Brown hit a two-run home run as part of his 2-for-3, two-RBI outing.
APSU starter Nick James (1-2) went three-plus innings and allowed 11 runs on 11 hits.
Oklahoma State starter Juaron Watts-Brown (1-0) picked up his first win in three starts after holding APSU to one run on three hits and two walks over six innings while striking out eight batters.
Number of Note
1-for-1 – That’s junior transfer Gus Freeman’s hitting line after his first at-bat in the Austin Peay State University uniform. He hammered a 2-1 pitch 401-feet into the left-center field stands. He is the sixth Governors’ batter to hit a home run in 2023 and it was Austin Peay’s 14th home run in the season’s ninth game.
Governor of the Game
Trevor Conley notched his second two-hit game of the season, both in his last three games. He provided a two-out single in the second inning and followed that with his two-out RBI double in the fourth inning.
Other Notables
Freeman’s home run was the first pinch-hit home run since Harrison Brown’s pinch-hit homer at Tennessee Tech last season.
At an estimated 401 feet, Freeman’s homer was the seventh to exceed 400-feet.
Miller-Green’s first-inning single extended his hit streak to three games and he now has a hit in eight of his first nine games as an APSU Gov.
Jaden Brown’s fourth-inning walk extended his reached-safely streak to seven games, tied for longest by a Governor this season.
Campbell Holt supplied two scoreless innings out of the bullpen, his second-straight relief appearance without allowing a run.
Next Up For APSU Baseball
Austin Peay State University and Oklahoma State resume the three-game series with a 1:00pm Saturday contest at O’Brate Stadium.
