JACKSONVILLE, Ala. ? Austin Peay State University's baseball team emerged from a six-game skid with a 10-9 come-from-behind win over Jacksonville State, Sunday, at Rudy Abbott Field. The win also prevented a JSU sweep of the Ohio Valley Conference series.
Austin Peay improves to 10-16 overall with a 2-4 league clip, while Jacksonville State improves to 15-10 with a 4-2 OVC mark.
It all came down a ninth-inning rally by the Gamecocks. Govs reliever Daniel Tenholder (1-1), who entered the game with one out in the fifth inning, battled to the final out in his season's longest outing of 3.1 innings. The Clarksville native struck out three on his way to ninth, but JSU rallied with one out.
A single and a double by JSU put runners on second and third, setting the stage for a three-run home run by Daniel Adamson set the final margin. Tenholder ? who finished allowing three runs on six hits, walking one and striking out four ? induced a ground ball to first base for the game's final out two batters later.
The Govs scored runs early again, much like the Game 1 yesterday, plating four runs in the first three innings. Jared DeLong and Greg Bachman started the charge with back-to-back doubles to score the first run. Trey Lucas rapped a one-out RBI-double to score Bachman.
Austin Peay scored single runs in the next three innings. Jon Clinard had RBI-singles in the second and fourth innings, hitting in the nine-hole. In the third, Adam Browett recorded an inside-the-park home run on a ball hit off the center-field wall. It was the Govs first inside-the-parker since May 17, 2005 (Ryan Kane at Western Kentucky).
JSU scored four runs of its own in the third after a bases-clearing three-RBI triple by Blake Sequin and an RBI-single by Kyle Bluestein. The Gamecocks plated two runs in the fifth with a lead-off home run by Andrew Edge and another Bluestein RBI-single with tied the game, 6-6.
An RBI-groundout in the seventh by Lucas, gave Austin Peay a 7-6 lead. The Govs built on the lead in the eighth, manufacturing four more runs. Another RBI-single by Clinard started the rally and after loading the bases, Matt Kole ripped a three-run single to right field. That made it 10-6 and set the stage for the final inning.
Clinard led the Govs at the plate with a 3-for-4, three RBI performance. Bachman and Daniel Baggett each with 2-for-3, while Kole and Lucas each went 1-for-5 with two RBI. Jack Snodgrass pitched 4.1 innings in the start for the Govs, allowing six runs on seven hits, walking four and striking out two. Jacob Brisbin threw 1.1 innings of one-hit relief before giving way to Tenholder.
JSU reliever Malcom Thomas (0-3) was tagged with the loss after allowing the Govs seventh-inning run. Sequin and Bluestein each went 4-for-5 with two RBI.
The Govs return to Raymond C. Hand Park for a pair of mid-week contests hosting Belmont and Middle Tennessee, Tuesday and Wednesday.
