61.4 F
Clarksville
Thursday, March 28, 2024
HomeSportsAPSU Baseball falls 11-4 to Ole Miss

APSU Baseball falls 11-4 to Ole Miss

APSU Sports Information

APSU BaseballOxford, MS – Austin Peay State University’s baseball team mounted a furious mid-game charge but a late Ole Miss rally denied it a chance for the comeback win in a 11-4 loss, Tuesday night at Swayze Field.

Austin Peay (8-4) trailed 5-1 after four innings but it pieced together a furious two-out rally in the fifth.

Austin Peay Baseball closed on Ole Miss, but Rebels rally to win 11-4 Tuesday night. (APSU Sports Information)
Austin Peay Baseball closed on Ole Miss, but Rebels rally to win 11-4 Tuesday night. (APSU Sports Information)

Five consecutive Govs posted hits with two outs with second baseman Garrett Giovannelli, left fielder Nick Walker and designated hitter Andrew Flaherty each driving in a run and slashing the deficit to 5-4.

No. 9 Ole Miss (11-1) went to its bullpen after the Flaherty’s single and righty Will Stokes (1-0) retired the first batter he faced to end the fifth and six of the seven batters he faced to keep the Govs off the board. The Rebels then turned to Will Ethridge who notched his season’s first save by retiring all six batters he faced.

The Rebels offense could not solve the Governors bullpen for four innings but put together their own five-hit rally in the eighth inning to break the game open. Third baseman Tyler Keenan’s three-run home run was the frame’s big blow and ended any chance of a late Govs rally.

Walker led the Govs offense with a 2-for-4, two RBI performance that included a third-inning RBI double for the Govs first run.  Shortstop Garrett Kueber also went 2-for-4 and scored twice.

Kyle Wilson (0-1) made his first start as a Governor and allowed four runs on three hits in 2.1 innings but was left with the loss.

Rebels left fielder Thomas Dillard hit home runs in each of his first two at-bats as part of a 2-for-4, four RBI outing. Keenan also went 2-for-4 with four RBI.

Who Governed: Garrett Kueber

Kueber did a little of everything for the Govs, going 2-for-4 with two runs scored at the plate and turning in a pair of defensive gems late in the contest. He singled and then scored from first base on Nick Walker‘s double to post the Govs first run.

Two innings later, Kueber singled with two out and scored on Garrett Giovannelli‘s double. He then turned in web gems in both the seventh and eighth innings that robbed Rebels of base hits and turned them into inning-ending outs.

Govs Notably

Walk Streak Ends
For the first time in 2018, Austin Peay’s offense was held to less than five walks, Ole Miss surrendering just two walks to the Govs. Austin Peay had earned five or more walks in each of its first 11 games and entered Tuesday’s contest ranked No. 5 among Division I teams in total walks.

Midweek Woes
Austin Peay fell to 0-3 in midweek contests this season. However, two of those losses have come against nationally ranked foes – Vanderbilt and Ole Miss.

Next Up for APSU Baseball

Austin Peay continues its five-game Spring Break road trip with a 6:00pm, Wednesday, March 7th contest at Samford in Birmingham, Alabama. Starters will be announced prior to the scheduled first pitch.

RELATED ARTICLES

Latest Articles