CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. ? A rally provided a game one victory, but there was no rally in game two as Austin Peay State University's baseball team split an Ohio Valley Conference doubleheader with Tennessee Tech, Saturday, at Raymond C. Hand Park. The Govs won game one, 10-5, before falling in game two, 7-3.

Austin Peay moves to 17-20 overall and 6-9 in conference play while Tennessee Tech moves to 26-12-1 overall and 8-6 in league action. The two teams will complete the three-game conference series with a 1 p.m., Sunday, contest.

GAME 1: Huff strikes out a dozen as Govs rally for win

Sophomore starter Stephen Huff struck out a career-high 12 batters and threw his first collegiate complete game as Austin Peay rallied for a 10-5 victory in game one.

Huff had an uneven start, putting the first three men he faced on base. Each of those three runners would ultimately cross the plate ? two on designated hitter A.J. Kirby-Jones' double. However, Huff sandwiched that double between three strikeouts as he settled in to retire 12 of 14 until surrendering two runs on center fielder Jake New's fifth-inning double.

The Govs offense got off to a slow start, scoring a lone run in the second inning on third baseman Greg Bachman's double. However, Austin Peay finally broke through in the fifth ? sending 12 men to the plate and scoring six times. Catcher Trey Lucas and designated hitter Chad Cunningham each had two-run singles in the frame as the Govs grabbed a 7-5 advantage.

Austin Peay added to its lead with three more runs in the sixth, one on first baseman Matt Kole's single and two more on another Lucas single. Those runs provided enough insurance for Huff as he faced 15 batters in the final four innings to post the Govs second complete game this season.

Huff (4-4) surrendered the five runs on 10 hits. He struck out the side in the first and recorded a strikeout in every inning but the eighth for his 12 strikeouts.

Offensively, Lucas, Kole, center fielder Rafael Hill and Bachman each had two hits while Cunningham had the only other hit in a nine-hit attack. Lucas had four RBI while Cunningham and Bachman each had two RBI.

TTU starter Jake Edwards (3-3) was tagged for the loss after surrendering six runs on three hits and four walks over 4.2 innings. New was 3-for-4 to lead the Golden Eagle offense which out-hit the Govs, 10-9.

GAME 2: Golden Eagles fly away and hide

Tennessee Tech scored all its runs in the first four innings and was not threatened in a 7-3 defeat of Austin Peay in game two.

The Golden Eagles scored two runs in both the first and second to jump out to a 4-1 lead after two innings. Tennessee Tech scored another two runs in the fourth to chase Austin Peay starter Ryne Mantooth after 3.1 innings. Reliever Jeff Hughes surrendered another run before closing out the inning.

Hughes and Jason Stoermer ? the Govs third pitcher of the game ? combined to shutdown the Golden Eagle offense, retiring 11 of the 13 batters they faced over the final 3.2 innings.

However, the Austin Peay offense could not take advantage, scoring two runs in the fifth but leaving the bases loaded. Tennessee Tech reliever Matt Kearney retired nine of the 10 batters he faced to stop the APSU offense cold.

Mantooth (4-3) suffered the loss after allowing seven runs on 10 hits over 3.1 innings. Hughes pitched 2.2 innings of scoreless relief, surrendering two hits, before making way for Stoermer who struck out two in the ninth. The Govs offense mustered nine hits, with Bachman and Hogue each posting two hits each.

Kearney (5-0) picked up the victory in relief, allowing one hit and striking out one over the final 2.1 innings. Starter Michael Alcorn fell one out shy of the decision, surrendering three runs on eight hits over 4.2 innings. The Golden Eagles offense rapped out 13 hits, with five players posting two hits each.

-AP-