CLARKSVILLE – One day after dropping its Ohio Valley Conference opener, Austin Peay State University's baseball team bounced back to sweep Saturday's doubleheader at Raymond C. Hand Park. The Govs won the opener 14-10 before cruising to a 10-6 victory in the nightcap.

The day's first game was a wild affair with five lead changes. Austin Peay trailed 10-9 entering the seventh inning. Catcher P.J. Torres started the rally when he reached base on a wild pitch after striking out. After Torres reached second base on an error, second baseman Kevin Corey promptly tied the game with a RBI double.

The tie would not last more than one batter as pinch hitter Logan Gray followed with a two-run home run to right field, giving APSU the lead for good, 12-10. First baseman Dre Gleason added a pair of insurance runs with a single, giving the Govs a 14-10 advantage.

Austin Peay (8-10, 2-1 OVC) scored the opener's first runs when it sent nine batters to the plate in a five-run first inning, keyed by Corey's two-run double. Eastern Illinois responded in the third when it sent nine batters to the plate, scoring six times. Third baseman Tyler Schweigert hit a three-run home run to cap the rally with EIU leading 6-5.

The Govs regain the lead with a three-run third inning sparked by a RBI double by catcher P.J. Torres, a RBI single by Corey and a RBI triple by right fielder Rolando Gautier. Austin Peay held an 8-6 lead after three frames.

Eastern Illinois (4-15, 2-4) kept plugging away, scoring a run in the fourth before taking the lead again with a three-run sixth inning. Designated hitter Jason Scholl had a two-run single and Schweigert followed with a RBI single to give the Panthers a 10-9 lead.

Austin Peay's relievers threw three scoreless innings to give the offense an opportunity to charge back. Tommy Hager (2-0) pitched a scoreless sixth and picked up the win. Jake Corum added a scoreless seventh and retired one of the two batters he faced in the ninth. Alex Belew retired a batter in the ninth but left the bases loaded. Closer Jared Carkuff entered the game and induced a foul out to end the contest, picking up his season's third save.

Eastern Illinois reliever Garrison Stenger (0-5) suffered the loss after allowing five runs in 2.1 innings.

Austin Peay starter Levi Primasing (2-0) dominated the nightcap. The right-handed retired the first five batters he faced and did not allow a run until the fourth inning, when he surrendred a leadoff single that eventually scored on a double by EIU left fielder Demetre Taylor.

After that double, Primasing retired the next nine batters he faced before hitting a batter with one out in the seventh. Eastern Illinois would get that runner home with a sacrifice fly later in the inning and Primasing struck out the final batter he faced in the seventh, ending his outing.

Meanwhile, the Govs offense opened the nightcap's scoring with two runs in the third inning as Gleason had a RBI ground out to give APSU the lead for good and left fielder Ridge Smith followed with a RBI single, giving APSU a 2-0 lead.

One inning later and leading 2-1 after Primasing gave up his first run, the Govs broke the game open with a six-run frame. Center fielder Cayce Bredlau hit his first collegiate home run – a two-run blast to left center – and Smith added his season's second home run – a two-run blast to left center – to pace the rally. Austin Peay would tack on another run in the fifth and eighth innings.

Eastern Illinois had more success with the Govs bullpen as they struck for three runs in the eighth – two scoring on first baseman Cameron Berra's single – and another run in the ninth – on center fielder Derek Page's sacrifice fly – but they could not close the gap.

Primasing (2-0) picked up the win after allowing two runs on five hits in seven innings. He did not walk a batter and struck out five Panthers hitters.

EIU starter Chase Thurston (0-3) suffered the loss after allowing five runs on eight hits in three-plus innings.

Offensively, the Govs posted 14 hits in each game of the doubleheader. Corey went 4-for-5 with four RBI – posting career highs for hits and RBI – in the opener and was 1-for-3 in the night cap. Shortstop Garrett Copeland was 5-for-10 on the day and led the Govs with a 3-for-5 outing in the nightcap.

Eastern Illinois rapped out 18 hits in the opener, 16 going for singles. Right fielder Caleb Howell was 4-for-5 with a double and third baseman Tyler Schweigert was 4-for-5 with four RBI, including his three-run home run. The Panthers were held to nine hits in the night cap, with designated hitter Montana Timmons' 2-for-3 effort the only multi-hit outing of the affair.

Austin Peay begins a four-game road trip when it travels to nationally ranked Tennessee for a 5 p.m. (CT), Tuesday contest.