CLARKSVILLE – First baseman Parker Phillips' two-run home run – his 40th career homer – put Austin Peay State University's baseball team in the lead through three frames and they didn't look back in a dominant 14-2 Ohio Valley Conference victory against Belmont, Sunday afternoon on Joe Maynard Field at Raymond C. Hand Park.
MOMENT THAT MATTERED
Nursing a 3-2 lead into the fifth inning, Austin Peay used a pair of walks and a bunt single to load the bases before a wild pitch allowed catcher David Martinez to scamper home with the first run. A third walk loaded the bases again and designated hitter Matt Joslin stepped to the plate. He delivered a single into left field, allowing two runs to score and giving the Govs a comfortable 6-3 lead.
WATER COOLER CHATTER
PARKER MAKES OWN 40-40 CLUB. The Govs career leader in home runs and times hit by pitch added to both totals in Sunday's series finale. His two-run blast in the third was his 40th career home run. Four innings later, Phillips was hit by a pitch for the 45th time in his career.
JOSLIN BIG WITH BASES JUICED. Joslin entered the weekend 2-for-4 with three RBI when batting with the bases loaded, including a key two-run base hit in the Govs upset of No. 1 Vanderbilt earlier this season. Sunday he batted twice with the bases loaded, providing a two-run single in each case. He now is battling .667 with seven RBI in bases-loaded opportunities in 2019.
ROLL THAT BEAUTIFUL HIGHLIGHT
WHAT THE WIN MEANS
With the win, the Governors won the three-game OVC series, 2-1, and moved into a tie with Belmont for the league lead after four of 10 conference weekends. The Govs and Bruins end the weekend tied with Jacksonville State and Murray State with .667 win percentages.
THE REST OF THE STORY
Trailing 1-0 entering the bottom of the third, Austin Peay (14-12, 8-4 OVC) saw third baseman Gino Avros earn a leadoff walk. After the Govs moved him with a sacrifice bunt, center fielder Garrett Spain tied the game with a single. That brought Phillips to the plate where he hammered the ball to left center for a two-run home run and a 3-1 lead.
Belmont (13-14, 8-4 OVC) would work to respond in the fourth inning. Right fielder Devon Gardner began the frame with a double, but Austin Peay starter Brandon Vial caught him trying to steal third for the second out of the inning. That out would prove pivotal as third baseman Logan Jarvis singled after the out and scored on center fielder Hagan Severance's single, cutting the Govs lead to 3-2.
The Governors would add to their lead in the fifth inning with five consecutive batters reaching base with two outs. Designated hitter Matt Joslin's two-run bases loaded single giving APSU a 6-2 lead.
But it was a monstrous seventh inning that broke the game open for the Govs. Sending 13 men to the plate, the Govs scored eight times in the frame. Joslin and shortstop Garrett Kueber each hit a two-run singles that proved to be the biggest hits in the frame that saw six Govs end with an RBI.
The offensive outburst benefitted Vial (3-2) who went five innings and held Belmont to two runs while scattering eight hits over five innings. Four Govs relievers combined to hold the Bruins scoreless over the final four innings.
Joslin led the Govs with a 2-for-3, three RBI day. Spain had his first career four-hit day with a 4-for-5, two RBI, three runs-scored performance.
Belmont starter Korey Bell (0-2) suffered the loss after allowing three runs on two hits and four walks in three innings. Severance led the Bruins offense with a 3-for-4, one RBI effort.
Austin Peay begins a four-game road trip with a 6 p.m., Tuesday contest at Lipscomb in Nashville, Tennessee.
