Clarksville, TN – Starting pitcher Andrew Devine was perfect through five innings and ultimately claimed his third complete game of the season as the Austin Peay State University (APSU) baseball team defeated Bellarmine 14-2 in seven innings via the run rule Saturday on Joe Maynard Field at Raymond C. Hand Park.
Devine (5-0) retired the first 15 batters he faced and saw his perfect-game attempt halted when Bellarmine’s left fielder Jacob Rowold led off the sixth with a single, and catcher Charlie Rife singled with one out. The shutout bid fell one batter later with center fielder Joey Milto’s ground out and first baseman Casey Sorg’s RBI single.
However, those two runs only delayed the inevitable. Austin Peay (17-13, 6-5 ASUN) scored the game’s first 11 runs. Saturday’s outing started similarly to Friday’s: third baseman Brody Szako provided a two-run home run in the first inning and center fielder John Bay’s leadoff home run in the second inning.
But instead of the scoring lull that occurred Friday, the APSU Govs kept forging ahead offensively. Catcher Gus Freeman added another solo home run in the second, pushing the lead to 4-0.
The Governors broke open the game with a six-run third inning. Austin Peay State University’s opening salvo was four consecutive hits following right fielder Lyle Miller-Green’s leadoff walk. Szako singled, shortstop Jon Jon Gazdar drove in a run with a single, first baseman Harrison Brown added an RBI single, and Bay doubled to drive in two runs, extending the lead to 8-0.
After Bellarmine recorded a pair of outs, the APSU Govs resumed their push. Second baseman Ambren Voitik scored Bay with a double off the center field wall. Gray then singled to center field to score Voitik, and APSU led 10-0 after three innings and didn’t look back.
Devine picked up his fifth win in eight starts, holding Bellarmine to two runs on four hits and a walk while striking out six batters. He faced only 26 batters in the seven-inning outing – five over the minimum.
Szako led the offense with a 3-for-4, two RBI outing, including a home run. Bay was 2-for-3 with a double, home run, and three RBI. Freeman was 2-for-3 with three RBI.
Bellarmine (5-25, 4-7 ASUN) finished with four hits by different batters. Knights starting pitcher M. Sokol lost after allowing eight runs on seven hits and a walk over two innings.
Austin Peay State University and Bellarmine close their three-game series, which is tied 1-1, with a Sunday 1:00pm contest at The Hand.
