Jackson, TN — Austin Peay State University’s baseball team spotted Eastern Kentucky University an early three-run lead, May 25th at The Ballpark at Jackson, in the Ohio Valley Conference tournament championship game, but rallied to score the final six runs to win its third straight tournament title and a spot in the NCAA tournament field.
The Govs (45-13), ranked 26th in the nation by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association will find out whom and where they will be playing on May 27th, noon, on the NCAA Baseball Tournament selection show on ESPN.
The win was also the 15th straight by the Govs, the longest current win streak in the nation, while the 45 total wins is a new school single-season record.
Some early wildness by Austin Peay starting pitcher Ryan Quick set Eastern Kentucky (23-34) up for a quick start, as the Colonels first two batters walked on their way to scoring three runs in the top of the first inning.
Kyle Nowlin and Doug Teegarden drew the back-to-back walks with Shaun Ball singling an out later to load the bases.
Ball led Eastern Kentucky with three hits.
That brought up Bryan Soloman, who laced a ball past a diving Jordan Hankins at third base and down the left field line for a double – scoring Nowlin and Teegarden.
Alex Hughes followed with a sacrifice fly to left field, scoring Ball, who just beat the throw home to give the Colonels a 3-0 advantage.
Austin Peay would answer right back in the bottom of the inning, using the long ball to match the three runs scored by Eastern Kentucky.
Dylan Riner opened the inning with a single, but was erased on a fielder’s choice by Hankins.
Riner, along with Cody Hudson led Austin Peay with three hits each.
Craig Massoni followed with a single, which brought up the Govs hottest hitter over the past two weeks in Reed Harper — who didn’t disappoint – as he blasted a 1-0 pitch over the left field wall for a three run homer, his sixth of the season, to tie the game 3-3.
Brett Carlson got the rally going with an infield hit and moved to second base on a single by Riner.
That brought up Hankins, who laced a single into left field that scored Carlson from second base for a 4-3 advantage.
The score would remain that way until the bottom of the sixth inning, when Austin Peay pushed across a run to take its biggest lead of the day, 5-3.
Tommy Hager started the inning with a single through the left side of the Colonels infield and move to second base on a sacrifice by Carlson.
A groundball by Riner got Hager to third where Hankins drove him in with a single to put the Govs up two.
Austin Peay would add an insurance run in the bottom of the eighth inning on a two-out RBI double off the left field wall by Riner, scoring Hager – who reached on a one-out single and moved into scoring position by stealing second base.
Lee Ridenhour (7-1), who hadn’t pitched since April 26th, picked up the win in relief coming in in the fourth inning for Quick and pitched two and a third innings of shutout baseball.
Tyler Rogers came in and pitched a scoreless ninth inning to pick up his 21st save of the season and breaking a tie with former Jacksonville State closer Todd Hornsby for the OVC all-time saves mark with 33 total saves.
Box Score
2013 Ohio Valley Conference Baseball
Eastern Kentucky vs #26 Austin Peay
May 25th, 2013 at Jackson, TN (Ballpark at Jackson)
Player | ab | r | h | rbi | bb | so | po | a | lob | |
NOWLIN, Kyle lf | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
TEEGARDEN, Doug 3b | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
HAGEN, Sean c | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 2 | |
BALL, Shaun rf | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 3 | |
SOLOMAN, Bryan dh | 4 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
HUGHES, Alex 1b | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 0 | |
HOSTRANDER, Kenny 2b | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 3 | |
GRISHAM, Austin cf | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | |
WURZELBACHER, Luke ss | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | |
CREAMER, Cody p | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
SCOTT, Myles p | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
BOZMAN, Nick p | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
Totals | 31 | 3 | 6 | 3 | 9 | 4 | 24 | 12 | 11 |
Player | ab | r | h | rbi | bb | so | po | a | lob | |
RINER, Dylan cf | 5 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | |
HANKINS, Jordan 3b | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | |
MASSONI, Craig 1b | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 1 | 3 | |
HARPER, Reed ss | 4 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 0 | |
HUDSON, Cody lf | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
DAVIS, Michael dh | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
TORRES, P.J. c | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 2 | |
HAGER, Tommy rf | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | |
CARLSON, Brett 2b | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | |
QUICK, Ryan p | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
RIDENHOUR, Lee p | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
KEMMER, Kacy p | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
ROGERS, Tyler p | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
Totals | 35 | 6 | 14 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 27 | 12 | 8 |
Score by Innings R H E ------------------------------------------- Eastern Kentucky.... 300 000 000 - 3 6 2 Austin Peay......... 310 001 01X - 6 14 1 ------------------------------------------- |
E – NOWLIN(4); HOSTRANDER(11); QUICK(4). DP – EKU 2; APSU 1. LOB – EKU 11; APSU 8. 2B – BALL 2(13); SOLOMAN(17); RINER(13). HR – HARPER(6). SH – CARLSON(6). SF – HUGHES(2). SB – NOWLIN(17); TEEGARDEN(5); GRISHAM(22); WURZELBACHER(3); HAGER(5). CS – HUDSON(7). |
Eastern Kentucky | ip | h | r | er | bb | so | wp | bk | hbp | ibb | ab | bf | fo | go |
CREAMER, Cody L,2-2 | 1.2 | 7 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 11 | 2 | 1 |
SCOTT, Myles | 4.1 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 19 | 6 | 5 |
BOZMAN, Nick | 2.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 8 | 1 | 3 |
Austin Peay | ip | h | r | er | bb | so | wp | bk | hbp | ibb | ab | bf | fo | go |
QUICK, Ryan | 3.2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 20 | 4 | 4 |
RIDENHOUR, Lee W,7-1 | 2.1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 9 | 3 | 3 |
KEMMER, Kacy | 2.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 8 | 3 | 3 |
ROGERS, Tyler S,21 | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 2 |
Win – RIDENHOUR (7-1). Loss – CREAMER, C (2-2). Save – ROGERS (21). Umpires – HP: Owen Butts 1B: Andy Glenn 2B: Chuck Pack 3B: Stephen Hagan Start: 3:51 PM Time: 2:53 Attendance: 587 Weather: 75, Fair, Wind S5 Game notes: Game 10 of the 2013 Ohio Valley Conference Baseball Championship. Austin Peay wins the Championship. |