Clarksville, TN – The Austin Peay State University (APSU) baseball team improved to 7-4 on the year after winning their sixth straight game at home against Eastern Illinois by a score of 5-4, Saturday at Joe Maynard Field at Raymond C. Hand Park.
Jacob Weaver was sent to the mound for his third season start. He threw 4.2 innings, striking out four batters and allowing two runs on three hits and one walk.
Tyler Conklin took the hill for the Panthers for his third start of the season. He went 6.0 innings, striking out six batters and allowing three runs on five hits and two walks.
How it Happened
Bottom 1st | The Govs got the offense going early with a leadoff single by Kyler Proctor. He was followed with a walk from John Bay. With an out in the inning, Gus Freeman drove in two runs with a double to left field. Cole Johnson was the next batter and grounded out to the pitcher on a slow roller. Freeman rounded third base hard and was able to score on the throw by Conklin to extend the lead to 3-0.
Top 5th | Weaver had been solid through the first four innings of play but lost some command in the fifth. He was able to retire the first batter of the inning on a line out. The next three batters were hit by a pitch, singled, and hit by another pitch, all in that sequence to load the bases. Then an infield single from Brett Stanley brought in the Panthers’ first run. Peyton Wilson then hit into a fielders choice and was able to bring in another run. After another hit batter, Gavin Braunecker came in to relieve Weaver with two outs and the bases loaded. Braunecker retired Sam Wiese on strikes to escape the inning with the 3-2 lead.
Top 6th | Braunecker got the first two batters in the top half of the sixth to fly out and ground out. But an error from Cameron Nickens in left field allowed Ethan Rossi to get to second base. Zak Goodwin then came up and drove in Rossi with a single to right field to tie the game 3-3.
Top 7th | Stanley led off the inning with a double to right center and then advanced to third on a wild pitch. Wilson grounded out to short to bring in the go-ahead run and make it 3-4 Panthers.
Bottom 7th | Bryce Riggs relieved Conklin to begin the bottom half of the seventh inning. He retired all three Austin Peay batters he faced that inning.
Bottom 8th | The bats of the Governors were cold ever since the first inning but broke out late in the bottom half of the eighth. Proctor led things off with a walk but was out at second on the fielders choice from Bay. A single through the right side of the infield from Nickens put runners on the corners. Freeman then walked to load the bases with one out. Riggs retired Johnson on strikes for the second out. DJ Merriweather worked an eight-pitch at-bat and scorched a ball to the left side of the infield, but the ground ball went through the legs of Pierce Bauerle to score a pair of runs for the Governors lead, 5-4.
Wrap Up
Braunecker picked up his second win of the season to improve to 2-0 on the year. He threw 3.1 innings in relief, striking out two batters and allowing two runs, one earned, on four hits.
Riggs was given the loss after throwing two innings, striking out two batters and allowing two runs on a hit and two walks. He fell to 0-1 on the year.
Kaleb Applebey earned his first save of the season after throwing an inning of relief in the ninth. He did not allow a run after facing five batters, allowing a hit and one walk.
Notables
Second comeback win of the season for the APSU Govs.
First one-run game win this year.
First win of the year, having fewer hits than the Govs’ opponents.
First win of the season trailing after seven innings.
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Next Up For APSU Baseball
The Austin Peay State University baseball team will play their weekend series finale against Eastern Illinois Sunday at 1:00pm at Joe Maynard Field at Raymond Hand C. Park. Tomorrow’s game will be streamed on ESPN+.
