NATCHITOCHES, La. – Newcomers Harrison Brown and Xavier Torres drove in two runs each during a seven-run seventh inning, but Austin Peay State University's baseball team fell to Northwestern State, 10-8, Friday night at Brown-Stroud Field.
Trailing 8-1 after Northwestern State scored four runs in back-to-back innings early, Austin Peay (1-7) pieced together an impressive seventh inning. The Govs sent 13 men to the plate, the first five reaching safely, and scored seven times to tie the game.
The rally started innocently enough as shortstop and leadoff hitter Bobby Head was hit by a pitch. Right fielder Harrison Brown followed by hammering a ball off the wall in centerfield for a run-scoring triple. Pinch hitter Xavier Torres followed with a single to drive in Brown, and the first two runs were on the board.
Left fielder TJ Foreman kept the line moving with a single through the infield, and center fielder Garrett Spain loaded the bases with his single through the infield. That ended the day for NSU reliever Nik Milsaps who Josh Banes replaced. The new Demons reliever would get an out but surrendered the inning's third run when pinch hitter Ty DeLancey hit a sacrifice fly, and the Govs cut the deficit to 8-4.
Designated hitter Malcolm Tipler then singled to drive in Spain, and catcher Jack Alexander doubled into the right-field corner to score DeLancey, slashing the deficit to 8-6. Banes would strikeout the next batter but could not escape the frame. He hit Head to load the bases, walked Brown to push in a run, then gave up a base hit to Torres to tie the game. Bane would induce a fly out to end the threat with the bases loaded, but Govs had done their damage, tying the game, 8-8.
Austin Peay reliever Nolan O'Shoney entered the game in kept Northwestern State off the bases in the seventh and retired the leadoff batter in the eighth. But left fielder Jeffrey Elkins walked to end O'Shoney's outing. Reliever Sebastian Martinez got started with a second out strikeout, but Elkins stole second and scampered to third on a wild pitch to put the go-ahead run 90-feet away. Shortstop Jake Haze hit a blooper to left field that fell just in front of a diving Foreman, allowing Elkins to score and break the tie. NSU would later add an insurance run to set the game's final score.
Torres went 2-for-3 with two RBI off the bench to pace the Govs offense. Brown went 1-for-3 with two RBI and walked twice. Alexander's 2-for-5, RBI effort was the Govs' other multi-hit outing.
Second baseman Daunte Stuart reached in all five of his plate appearances, going 2-for-2 with two RBI and three walks to lead Northwestern State's offense. Elkins, Haze, center fielder Gabe Colaianni joined Stuart with two RBI each.
Austin Peay starter Harley Gollert could not get past the third inning, allowing eight runs (four earned) in 2.1 innings. Reliever Drew McIllwain kept the Govs in the game with a career-best 3.2 scoreless innings while setting a career-high with five strikeouts. Nolan O'Shoney (0-1) suffered the loss after the runner he left on base in the eighth scored to mar his 1.1-inning outing.
NSU starter Johnathan Harmon did not factor into the decision despite holding the Govs to one unearned run over five innings, striking out seven. Reliever Donovan Ohnoutka (1-0) picked up the victory with two innings of scoreless relief to close the game.
Austin Peay and Northwestern State continue their three-game series with a 2 p.m. Saturday contest at Brown-Stroud Field.
