Clarksville, TN – The Austin Peay State University (APSU) baseball team took the first two games of Atlantic Sun Conference play at home against Lipscomb, Friday, at Joe Maynard Field at Raymond C. Hand Park.
Game 1 of DH
Cody Airington got the start for the Governors in game one of the doubleheader. It was his fifth start of the season.
Jake Poindexter also had his fifth start of the year in his fifth appearance.
How it Happened
Bottom 2nd | The Governors struck first in the second, courtesy of Ray Velazquez, hitting a 404-foot two-run blast over the left center field wall, the first homer of his career, giving the Govs the early 2-0 lead.
Top 5th | Airington retired Damion Kenealy Jr. on a groundout to begin the inning, but Keaton Mahan hit a solo home run to cut the lead in half and make the score 2-1.
Bottom 5th | Brody Szako led off the inning with a solo homer out to right center, his second of the season. Velazquez followed him with a bunt single on the left side of the infield. He was then moved into scoring position on a sacrifice bunt from Andres Matias. Trevor Conley, who had recorded a double in each of his last four games, hit a two-bagger out to deep center to drive in Velazquez and extend the Govs lead, 4-1.
Bottom 8th | The Govs have been known to rally late in the game with two outs, and they did just that in the eighth. The first two batters were retired, and then Velazquez was hit by a pitch. Matias hit a soft fly ball to right field and dropped in for a hit between Jacob Tobias in right and Brady Miller at second. Velazquez scored on the play all the way from first due to a throwing error by Tobias getting the ball to the infield. Conley then stepped up and hit his first home run of the season on the two-run shot to the opposite field to extend the lead to 7-1.
Game 1 Wrap Up
Airington picked up the win for his second of the year and first in ASUN Conference play to improve to 2-1. He went 6.2 innings with six punchouts. He only allowed one run on three hits and four walks.
Poindexter got the loss to fall to 1-3 on the season. He went 6.2 innings with seven strikeouts. He allowed four runs on eight hits and two walks.
Game 2 of DH
Jacob Weaver got the start for the Govs in Game 2 of the doubleheader. He went 1.2 innings, allowing five runs on six hits and hit batter.
Rigo Ramos made his fifth season start for the Bisons in his fifth appearance.
How it Happened
Top 1st | The Bisons led the game off with a solo shot to left off the bat of Miller for the early 0-1 lead.
Bottom 1st | The APSU Govs answered back with three runs of their own in the bottom half of the first. Kyler Proctor led off with a single up the middle. He advanced to second after John Bay walked. Gus Freeman singled on a bunt with one out, but a throwing error on Ramos allowed everyone to move up a base, scoring Proctor. Cole Johnson then grounded out to third with the bases loaded to bring in Bay. Szako was the next batter, and he drove in the final run of the first on a single to left, scoring Freeman for the 3-1 lead.
Top 2nd | With two runners on, Kai Holm doubled to left center, scoring Mahan, who singled earlier in the inning, and Kenealy Jr., who was hit by a pitch. Then Alejandro Ludeiro hit a two-run home run to center to extend the Bisons lead, 3-5.
Bottom 2nd | Keaton Cottam started off the second with a base hit, and Proctor followed with a four-pitch walk. Bay then hit a three-run shot to left field to retake the lead. Cole O’Brien came in to relieve Ramos on the mound. He retired Cameron Nickens on a fly ball to right, but Freeman launched a solo homer to left center, putting the Govs further ahead, 7-5.
Bottom 3rd | With runners at second and third and one out in the inning, Bay grounded out to short, allowing Cottam to score on the play. Proctor advanced to third and would be driven in on a two-out RBI double from Nickens, making the score 9-5 Govs.
Top & Bottom 4th | Lipscomb would get a run in the top half of the inning on the solo homer from Holm, who led off the inning. Velazquez would return the favor with a home run of his own in the bottom half. It was his second homer of the day and the second of his career.
Top 5th | Lipscomb would lead off another inning with a home run in the fifth. This time from David Coppedge. It would be the Bisons’ seventh and last run of the ball game.
Bottom 6th | Freeman led off the inning with a four-pitch walk, and the next two batters would be retired, bringing up Velazquez. He singled to left center to drive in Freeman but was thrown out, attempting to advance to third on a throwing error.
Bottom 7th | The Govs had another big inning at the plate in the seventh, starting with a single from Matias and Cottam reaching on a sacrifice bunt and an error at first base. A passed ball allowed Matias to score from third. Later in the inning, when Cottam was at third, he scored on another passed ball. Bryce Houghton relieved Jace Trautner, who started the inning on the mound. Nickens and Proctor put on the double steal during his first at-bat, allowing Proctor to score from third easily. Szako then hit a grounder to the pitcher, but Houghton threw the ball past the catcher allowing two runners to score on the play. With the Govs up 16-7 and two outs in the inning, Velazquez hit an RBI single to left field, scoring the winning run on the run rule.
Game 2 Wrap Up
Ramos was given the loss after throwing just one inning, allowing six runs, four earned, on five hits and two walks while striking out one batter.
Notables
The APSU Govs walked off Game 2 of the series in walk-off fashion, the first time the Govs have done so this year.
Velazquez: 5-for-8 on the day, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 4 R – Had the walk-off hit in Game 2.
Freeman: 3-for-6 on the day, HR, 2B, 2 BB, RBI, 4 R.
Conley: 2-for-3 in Game 1, HR, 2B, 3 RBI, R – Hit first homer of the season and has recorded a double in each of his last five games.
Bay: 1-for-4 in Game 2, HR, BB, 4 RBI, 2 R.
Nickens: Has reached base safely in every game this year.
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Next Up For APSU Baseball
The Austin Peay State University baseball team will finish their first ASUN series against Lipscomb in the series finale starting on Sunday 2:00pm CT at Joe Maynard Field at Raymond Hand C. Park.
