Clarksville, TN – Right fielder Garrett Martin hit two home runs, and third baseman Michael Robinson supplied a grand slam as the Austin Peay State University (APSU) baseball team rallied for a 14-13 nonconference victory against Southern Illinois Tuesday night on Joe Maynard Field at Raymond C. Hand Park.
After falling behind early, Austin Peay (2-2) used a four-run fifth inning to take its first lead. Left fielder Ambren Voitik tied the game, 9-9, with an RBI single through the right side. Shortstop Jaden Brown broke that tie with another RBI single down the first-base line. Second baseman Jon Jon Gazdar extended the lead to 12-9 with a two-run double.
Southern Illinois (2-3) closed within 12-11 in the seventh on catcher Nathan Bandy’s second two-run home run. Austin Peay State University pushed the lead back to a pair of runs with Martin’s second home run – a leadoff shot – in its half of the seventh. Center fielder Clayton Gray put the APSU Govs ahead 14-11 with an RBI double.
The Salukis threatened to tie the game in the ninth, opening the inning with a walk and a single before the APSU Govs recorded their first out. Pinch-hitter Noah Cook appeared to tie the game with a home run to left-center field. However, he was ruled out for failing to touch home, leaving SIU one run shy of tying the game. Govs’ reliever Jackie Robinson induced a fly out to right to end the game.
Martin’s 3-for-5, two-RBI effort led the 13-hit attack as Austin Peay State University again posted a double-digit total in both runs and hits. Designated hitter Lyle Miller-Green continued his hot start with a 2-for-3, two-RBI performance. Robinson, who missed the previous two games due to illness, was 1-for-5 with his second career grand slam in the third inning.
Campbell Holt (1-0), the third of seven Govs’ pitchers, held on to the win after holding the Salukis to two runs on four hits while striking out three over three innings. Robinson recorded two outs in three batters faced to pick up the save.
Bandy was 2-for-5 with two home runs and five RBI to pace the Salukis’ 15-hit attack. Reliever Matthew Steidl (0-1) allowed the four runs in the fifth inning, his only inning of work, and was charged with the loss.
How It Happened
Austin Peay State University again faced an early deficit, with Southern Illinois racing out to a 6-0 lead in the first three innings. Left fielder Pier-Olivier Boucher hit a two-run home run in the first, Bandy hit a two-run home run in the second, and first baseman Matt Sharck provided an RBI single to cap the early scoring outburst.
The Governors rallied with a six-run fourth inning, sending 10 men to the plate. Miller-Green provided the APSU’s first runs with a two-run double. Two walks later, Robinson delivered a 391-foot grand slam to left field, tying the game.
Both teams scored a pair of runs in the fourth. SIU third baseman Ryan Rodriguez gave his team the lead again with a two-run home run to left field. Martin led off the APSU Govs’ half of the inning with a 393-foot home run to left field, and first baseman Conner Gore tied the game again with an RBI single.
Southern Illinois pushed back with a single run in the top of the fifth, turning center fielder Mathieu Vallee’s leadoff walk into a run on a Bandy ground out, setting up the closing stretch.
Number of Note
14-13. Two days after dropping a 10-inning 14-13 decision to Southern Illinois, the APSU Govs turned the tables with a 14-13 victory against Southern Illinois.
Governor of the Game
Garrett Martin posted his second three-hit game of 2023, hit a home run for the second consecutive game, and had an RBI for a third-straight game thanks to his 3-for-5, three RBI performance against the Salukis.
His two-homer outing pushed him into the team lead with three home runs in four games.
Other Notables
Lyle Miller-Green notched a double and a single in his 2-for-3 day – he also walked twice – and now has six extra-base hits in 11 total hits.
The top four in the Governors’ order – Gray, Martin, Voitik, and Miller-Green – combined for eight hits and six RBI.
Catcher Jacob Curtis, who made his APSU debut, was held hitless but walked once and was hit by a pitch twice.
Miller-Green and Voitik each extended their hit streaks to four games. That pair and Gore also have reached safely in all four games.
Next Up For APSU Baseball
The Austin Peay State University baseball team begins a seven-game road trip when it meets Dallas Baptist in a three-game nonconference series, Friday-Sunday, in Dallas, Texas.
