Clarksville, TN – Right fielder Harrison Brown hit two home runs and made a game-saving catch in the ninth inning to help the Austin Peay State University (APSU) baseball team complete a three-game Atlantic Sun Conference series against Eastern Kentucky with an 11-8 victory Sunday on Joe Maynard Field at Raymond C. Hand Park.
With the sweep of the Colonels, Austin Peay (27-16, 14-7 ASUN) moved into second place in the ASUN standings. The APSU Govs are one game behind Jacksonville and tied with Kennesaw State and Stetson with nine conference games remaining.
The Governors scored in each of the first eight innings, but it wasn’t until the sixth inning that they could take control. Eastern Kentucky rallied to tie the game for a second time in the top of the sixth inning when Elijah Underhill hit a two-run home run to tie the game 8-8.
Harrison Brown, who hit a solo home run in the fourth inning to give the APSU Govs a 7-6 lead, led the Govs cause again in the sixth inning. Third baseman Brody Szako was hit by a pitch to start the inning. Brown came to the plate with one out and fell behind 0-2 after two pitches, but he hammered the third pitch of the at-bat over the left field wall to give Austin Peay State University a 10-8 lead.
Left fielder Clayton Gray would tack on an insurance run in the seventh. Meanwhile, Govs reliever Tyler Hampu cruised through the seventh and eighth innings with five strikeouts against the seven batters he faced to let Austin Peay State University take an 11-8 lead into the ninth.
Eastern Kentucky (12-31, 8-13 ASUN) mounted one final challenge in the ninth against Austin Peay State University closer Titan Kennedy-Hayes. Shortstop Marui Bejarano opened the inning with a triple off the top of the center field wall and scored on a sacrifice fly, narrowing the APSU lead to 11-9.
The Colonels then put the tying run aboard with back-to-back singles that put runners on the corners with one out. Right fielder Tait Nunnally nearly provided another run with a fly ball to shallow right field, but Harrison Brown sprinted forward and dove, making the catch to deny the Colonels. Kennedy-Hayes closed the game with a strikeout for his sixth save.
Harrison Brown and Gray’s home runs pushed the APSU Govs to 122 home runs this season, jumping ahead of Tennessee for the NCAA Division I home run lead. Brown led the Govs with his 3-for-4, five RBI effort that included a two-run single for Austin Peay State University’s first runs of the game. Szako had two doubles in his 2-for-4, four-RBI outing.
Austin Peay State University reliever Jackie Robinson (3-0) earned the win after allowing two runs over 1.1 innings of work. Govs starter Lyle Miller-Green pitched 3.1 innings and allowed six runs on nine hits.
Eastern Kentucky centerfielder Ron Franklin was 3-for-5 with three RBI, including a three-run home run in the fourth inning that tied the game at 6-6. Reliever Joe Clancy (2-3) lost after allowing four runs on four hits in 3.2 innings.
Next Up For APSU Baseball
The Austin Peay State University (APSU) baseball team will close its five-game homestand with a Tuesday 6:00pm contest against Alabama A&M. The team will then head back to Florida for a crucial ASUN conference series against Stetson, scheduled for Friday-Sunday in DeLand, Florida.
