CLARKSVILLE – First baseman Dre Gleason had a pair of hits, including a run-scoring single, but Austin Peay State University's baseball team dropped a 10-3 Ohio Valley Conference decision to SIUE, Saturday afternoon at Raymond C. Hand Park.

WHO GOVERNED
Relief pitcher Landon Kelly gave Austin Peay the opportunity to forge a comeback, supplying five scoreless innings of relief. The right-hander entered the game in the fourth inning and allowed a single to the first batter he faced before retiring the next 10 batters he faced. By the time he left the mound, he retired 15 of the 18 batters he faced, allowing three hits and striking out five.

FULL RECAP
Austin Peay (20-24, 11-14 OVC) had trouble with another SIUE pitcher in Saturday's contest. Cougars' starter Brock Fulkerson allowed a two-out walk in the first then a two-out single in the second. But the right hander settled in after that first hit to retire the next 10 batters he faced, carrying a shutout into the seventh inning.

Meanwhile, SIUE (20-24, 8-15 OVC) took advantage of a brief defensive lapse in the third inning. The Cougars saw three consecutive batters reach base safely to load the bases with one out. Govs starter Jacques Pucheu (1-1) induced a ground ball but a throw home got to the wall, allowing two runs to score. A wild pitch allowed another run to score before first baseman Jared McCunn singled to plate another run.

The Govs went to the bullpen but reliever Levi Primasing could not stem the Cougars run. He did induce a sacrifice fly, but then back-to-back singles as the SIUE wrapped up its seven-run inning and grabbed an 8-0 lead.

SIUE opened the fourth with back-to-back doubles and the Govs went to the bullpen again and right-hander Landon Kelly answered the call. Kelly would surrender a single to the first batter he faced, allowing SIUE's lead to reach 10-0, but then settled in himself to the tune of 10 consecutive batters retired. Kelly would retire 15 of the 18 batters he faced to hold the Govs deficit to 10 runs.

Austin Peay's bats finally broke through against Fulkerson in the seventh. Leadoff hitter Cayce Bredlau started the rally with a double to left field. The next two hitters reached safely to load the bases before shortstop Kyle Wilson drove in the Govs first run with a single. The Govs rally was nearly snuffed out when center fielder Imani Willis hit a line drive right at the SIUE third baseman, but he could not hold on to the ball and had to settle for a lone out while a run scored.

But Fulkerson (4-9) stopped the Govs rally as he retired the next two batters to end the frame allowing only two runs after loading the bases with no outs. He returned in the eighth but faced just two Govs hitters before ending his outing. Fulkerson held the Govs to those two runs on seven hits over his 7.1 innings en route to the win.

Six different SIUE hitters finished with a lone RBI, McCunn finished the game 2-for-5 at the plate with a RBI.

Pucheu surrendered seven runs (three earned) on three hits and four walks in his 2.1-inning outing.

Govs first baseman Dre Gleason's 2-for-5, one RBI outing was the Govs only multi-hit outing as they finished with nine hits.

Austin Peay and SIUE will close out the three-game OVC set with a 1 p.m., Sunday contest. The Governors will recognize their eight seniors on the 2017 roster in a 12:30 p.m. celebration.