Nashville, TN – Shortstop Jon Jon Gazdar drove in eight runs as part of a four-hit day, and starting pitcher Andrew Devine went the distance as the Austin Peay State University (APSU) baseball team downed Lipscomb 12-1 in seven innings Saturday afternoon at Ken Dugan Field.
Austin Peay (12-6) leveled the three-game Atlantic Sun Conference series against Lipscomb at 1-1.
Gazdar went 4-for-4 with a triple and a home run. His eight RBI were the second most in program history, matching Tyler Farrar’s eight RBI day against Morehead State during the 2008 season. The shortstop contributed to each of the Govs’ first nine runs.
The APSU Govs’ shortstop opened the day’s scoring with a two-run triple in the first inning that got the Govs on the scoreboard, and he later scored on designated hitter Jaden Brown’s single. He provided another two runs with his second-inning single and scored later in the inning on first baseman Harrison Brown’s single as the Govs took a 6-0 lead.
Gazdar wasn’t done. He pushed the APSU Govs’ lead to 9-1 with a fourth-inning home run – his second home run of 2024. He singled for his eighth RBI in the fifth inning, extending the Govs’ lead to 11-1. Gazdar finished his day with a seventh-inning walk.
Meanwhile, Austin Peay State University starting pitcher Andrew Devine (4-0) pieced together another stellar outing. He held Lipscomb to a single run via a home run in the second inning. Devine then allowed just two base hits and a walk over the final five innings and finished the game by retiring the final eight batters he faced.
It was Devine’s second complete game victory – both in Austin Peay State University run-rule wins – and third quality start of 2024. He allowed one run on three hits and a walk over seven innings. Devine struck out seven batters and needed just 81 pitches in the win, facing only 25 batters.
Left fielder Clayton Gray matched Gazdar’s day at the plate, going 4-for-5 with a double, a triple, and an RBI. Gazdar and Gray were each an extra-base hit shy of hitting for the cycle, Gazdar needing a double while Gray needed a home run.
Right fielder Lyle Miller-Green walked three times and scored four times. He has reached base seven times in the series’ first two games without a base hit.
Lipscomb starter Michael Dunkelberger (1-4) allowed nine runs on 10 hits and took the loss in a four-inning outing. Third baseman Trace Willhoite’s solo home run in the second was his lone hit in a 1-for-3 outing.
Next Up For APSU Baseball
The Austin Peay State University baseball team will play game three of the series against Lipscomb on Sunday at 1:00pm, Sunday on Dugan Field.
