Clarksville, TN – The Austin Peay State University (APSU) baseball team won both halves of a Sunday doubleheader against Western Illinois on Joe Maynard Field at Raymond C. Hand Park. The Govs slugged their way to an 18-9 win in the day’s first game before claiming a 7-6 victory in a back-and-forth nightcap.
Austin Peay (2-1) hammered a Hand Park record-tying six home runs in the day’s first game and added six doubles in an 18-hit attack. Right fielder Lyle Miller-Green and Center fielder John Bay hit two home runs, and designated hitter Justin Olson and second baseman Ambren Voitik also had home runs in the opener.
Miller-Green and Justin Olson opened the scoring with back-to-back home runs in the first inning, cutting an early APSU deficit to 3-2. Later in the first, third baseman Brody Szako gave the Govs the lead for good, 5-3, with a two-run double later in the inning. Austin Peay State University would score five runs again in the third before tacking on three runs in the fourth and fifth innings as it raced out to a 17-5 lead.
Western Illinois (1-2) escaped a run-rule decision thanks to left fielder Maxton Pollad’s seventh-inning grand slam. The Leathernecks had six base hits in the opener, with all six going for extra bases – two doubles and four home runs.
In the nightcap, the APSU Govs scored twice with two outs in the first inning to take an early lead, with Olson providing an RBI single and a WIU error leading to a second run.
But that lead would not last past the second as Leathernecks’ third baseman, Kyree Alexander, tied the game with a two-run home run. Austin Peay State University regained the lead courtesy of a second Western Illinois error in the third and took a 4-3 lead into the seventh inning.
The seventh inning was a messy affair for both teams. Western Illinois sent eight batters to the plate in its half of the inning. WIU saw its first three batters reach safely courtesy of two singles and a walk. The APSU Govs got a foul out and appeared to have escaped the inning when reliever Campbell Holt induced a ground ball to shortstop. But the ball was misplayed at second base and two runs scored to give WIU a 5-4 lead.
The Govs added an insurance run thanks to Paris Pridgen’s speed. He bunted down the third base line with two out and raced to first base. The WIU third baseman slipped as he fielded the ball and attempted to throw the ball to first while seated on the ground. The throw sailed into right field, and Pridgen ended up at third base. Bay would make WIU pay for its miscue, doubling to left field to get Pridgen home for a 7-5 lead.
That insurance run proved crucial, with WIU loading the bases with no outs in the ninth. First baseman Jackson Horn’s ground ball toward second base only resulted in one out with a run scoring. Govs’ reliever Titan Kennedy-Hayes wouldn’t allow the inning to spin further away, inducing another infield ground ball out to end the game.
Notably
Homerpalooza: Austin Peay State University’s six home runs in the opener tied a Hand Park record set against Tennessee Tech during the 1997 season. APSU finished the three-game series with eight home runs – Miller-Green belting three homers, Bay finishing with two, while Gray, Olson, and Voitik hit one each.
Don’t Forget the Doubles: The APSU Govs finished the weekend with 14 doubles on top of its long ball haul. Bay led the effort with five doubles. Shortstop Jon Jon Gazdar had three doubles, and Gray chipped in a pair of doubles.
Next Up For APSU Baseball
The Austin Peay State University baseball team makes the first of three trips to face Southeastern Conference foes when it heads south for a pair of midweek outings at Mississippi State. The Governors and Bulldogs play on Tuesday and Wednesday at 4:00pm on Dudy Noble Field at Polk-Dement Stadium in Starkville, Mississippi.
