THE LEAD
CLARKSVILLE – Reliever Zach Neff held the door for a comeback open with 4.1 scoreless innings, but Austin Peay State University's baseball team could not get a key hit down the stretch and dropped a 9-7 Ohio Valley Conference decision to UT Martin, Saturday night at Raymond C. Hand Park.

HOW IT HAPPENED
All the game's scoring took place in the first 4½ innings as relievers Zach Neff (APSU) and Alex Evans (UTM) proved impossible to solve in the latter stages.

UT Martin proved dangerous with two outs, batting 9-of-17 (.529) and scoring eight of their nine runs when down to their last out. The only run the Skyhawks scored with less than two outs proved to be pivotal as third baseman Ryan Helgren hit a one-out double to break a 7-7 tie in the fifth.

Austin Peay plated just three runs with two outs, as UTM pitchers held it to 3-of-12 (.250) hitting with two outs. Those three runs came in the fourth as the Govs got back-to-back doubles from Gray and Hamilton to tie the game 7-7.

However, the Govs would strand a runner in scoring position in each of the final three innings as Evans worked in and out of trouble down the stretch.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Starting pitcher Michael Costanzo (6-4) suffered his first home loss after starting the season 6-0 at Raymond C. Hand Park.

Kyle Blackburn started in left field – his first outfield start since April 22 – and responded with a 2-for-5 night that included two RBI, a double and a solo home run.

The Govs offense finished with more walks (6) than strikeouts (4) for the sixth time this season. However, they fell to 3-3 in games with more walks than strikeouts.

Austin Peay ended the game batting just 4-for-16 with a runner in scoring position. That included a 1-for-4 performance with a runner on third with less than two out – the lone hit coming on Hamilton's single in the first inning.

The Govs fell to 2-16 when trailing after six innings. Austin Peay also suffered its second home OVC loss this season, falling to 12-2.

THE FULL RECAP
UT Martin (16-29, 7-16 OVC) roughed up Austin Peay starter Michael Costanzo in the first inning. The Skyhawks got three hits with two outs, capped by third baseman Ryan Helgren's three-run home run, to build a four-run lead before the Govs came to the plate.

Austin Peay (28-16, 17-9 OVC) threatened to put together its own big inning in the bottom of the first, tagging Skyhawks starter Dom Bazzani for four straight hits to start the outing. Third baseman Logan Gray and right fielder Chase Hamilton each had RBI base hits to halve the deficit, 4-2.

But the Govs saw a bigger inning snuffed out as catcher Ridge Smith lined unluckily into a double play, Helgren snagging the line drive and falling on third to catch Gray out. Bazzani then escaped the inning with a flyout.

Left fielder Kyle Blackburn would nudge the Govs to within a run, 4-3, with his one-out solo home run in the third. But the Govs could not get closer in the frame or the next, leaving a runner on base each time.

The Skyhawks pieced together another two-out rally in the fourth. Costanzo struck out the first two batters he faced, but a third out proved elusive. The Skyhawks put the next five batters aboard safely, including three straight RBI singles, to build a 7-3 lead.

Austin Peay roared back in the bottom of the fourth. Blackburn started the scoring with a double to right field. Three batters later, Gray would add his own double to drive in two runs. Hamilton followed with the Govs third double of the frame to tie the game, 7-7. However, the Govs could not take the lead, leaving Hamilton stranded at second.

UT Martin broke the tie quickly with a two-run fifth inning. The Skyhawks cashed in a one-out walk when Helgren doubled into the right center gap, breaking the tie. Two batters later, shortstop Josh Hauser added a run with a two-out single that ended Costanzo's outing.

The Govs turned the ball over to southpaw reliever Zach Neff who promptly shut the door in the fifth. Neff then twirled four addition scoreless innings, facing just two batters more than the minimum through his 4.1-inning outing.

Neff's outing provided the Govs the opportunity to make their comeback try, but they could not capitalize. Austin Peay would leave a runner in scoring position in each of the final three innings as UTM reliever Alex Evans (7-5) worked around four hits in his five scoreless innings to pick up the win.

Austin Peay ended the game with just four hits in 16 opportunities with a runner in scoring position. That included one hit in four appearances with a runner on third with less than two out – the lone hit coming on Hamilton's single in the first inning.

Helgren led UTM's 11-hit attack with a 3-for-4, four RBI performance that included a double and home run. First baseman Nick Pribble added a 2-for-5, one RBI outing.

The Govs finished with 13 hits as Hamilton and first baseman Alex Robles each finished with three hits. Gray knocked in three RBI in his 2-for-4 outing while Blackburn chipped in a pair of runs as part of a 2-for-5 night at the plate.

Costanzo (6-4) suffered his first home loss after starting the season 6-0 at Raymond C. Hand Park. He surrendered nine runs on 10 hits in 4.2 innings.

The rubber game of the three-game OVC series between Austin Peay and UT Martin will start at 1 p.m., Sunday.