THE LEAD
JACKSONVILLE, Ala. – Austin Peay State University's baseball team could not get a timely hit early and was stymied late in a 6-1 Ohio Valley Conference loss to Jacksonville State, Friday night, at Rudy Abbott Field.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Jacksonville State capitalized on a bases-loaded, no outs situation in the first inning. The Gamecocks drove in a run with an out then used a delayed double steal to plate a second run.
Austin Peay would get one of those runs back when shortstop Clayton Smithson hit a solo home run in the third inning. However, the Govs would not score again in the contest and had just two runners in scoring position over the game's final 21 outs.
The Gamecocks got that run back thanks to a double in the third – one of four extra base hits for JSU in the contest. Jacksonville State added to its lead with a solo home run and two-run home run later in the game.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Robles' allowed four earned runs in seven innings… Austin Peay's starting pitchers have allowed nine earned runs in 35 innings over the last five games – a 2.31 ERA.
Smithson's home run was his fourth this season (16th game) and 10th extra-base hit (16 hits this season). He had just three home runs all of last season (37 games).
Left fielder Ridge Smith extended his hit streak to a career-best 10 games with a first-inning single.
First baseman Dre Gleason reached base three times, running his reached-safely streak to 31 games. His first-inning single also extended his career-best hitting streak to 14.
THE FULL RECAP
Just 48 hours removed from its best offensive outing of the season, a short-handed Austin Peay (9-7, 3-1 OVC) could not get a timely hit early in the contest. In the first inning, the Govs had a runner on third with two outs in the first inning but could not drive in the run.
Jacksonville State (11-5, 4-0 OVC) did not have the same offensive woes. The Gamecocks loaded the bases with no outs against APSU starter Alex Robles in the first. First baseman Tyler Gamble hit into a fielder's choice to score the game's first run. JSU then used a delayed double steal to get a key second run. Robles would escape the inning without further damage with a fly out and ground out.
The Govs got one of those runs back in the third when shortstop Clayton Smithson hit a leadoff home run to right center, narrowing the deficit to 2-1. The Govs then got a runner in scoring position with two outs, but could not find a way to extend the inning further.
But the Gamecocks responded in its half of the third with a one-out walk turned into a run by Gamble's double.
After the home run, JSU starter Graham Officer (2-1) began a streak of eight consecutive batters retired with the final out of the third. He would allow a one-out walk in the sixth, but did not allow the runner to reach scoring position. Officer would allow a leadoff single in the seventh – his first hit allowed since the third – but saw it wiped out by a double play.
Jacksonville State put the game out of reach late with outfielder Peyton Williams' leadoff home run in the fifth. Catcher Hayden White capped the scoring with a two-run home run in the eighth.
Robles (3-2) allowed four runs on six hits and was saddled with the loss in his seven-inning outing. It was his first conference and road loss this season.
The Govs offense was limited to seven hits, each by a different Govs hitter. Austin Peay struck out a season-low four times in the contest and earned three walks.
Officer earned his first conference win after holding APSU to one run on five hits over seven innings. Reliever Nate Sylvester picked up his first save with two scoreless innings.
Jacksonville State also was limited to seven hits, each by a different hitter, but had four extra base hits against the Govs lone extra-base knock.
Austin Peay and Jacksonville State resume their three-game OVC series with a 1 p.m., Saturday contest.
