DeLAND, Fla. – First baseman John Bay homered twice, starting pitcher Jacob Weaver went six innings, and Austin Peay State University's baseball team closed the 2023 campaign with a 16-4 victory against Jacksonville State in the final game of pool play at the ASUN Baseball Championship on Melching Field.
Bay set the tone for the night in the first inning with his three-run home run with two outs. The blast scored designated hitter Lyle Miller-Green and third baseman Ambren Voitik who hit back-to-back singles with one out. Bay also provided the Governors' next run, hitting another home run to left field for a 4-2 lead.
Catcher Jacob Curtis would add another run in the third with a sacrifice fly. Shortstop Jon Jon Gazdar pushed the lead to 6-2 with his RBI ground out in the fourth, scoring Miller-Green.
The Govs put together their first big inning of the game in the sixth. Bay drove in a run with a bases-loaded walk, and second baseman Matt Aribal drove in two more runs with a single into right field. Bay later scored on a wild pitch, and APSU led 10-2.
Austin Peay (26-32) broke the game open with six runs in the seventh inning. The Gamecocks bullpen walked five batters in the inning, and the Governors would score each of those runs, extending the lead to 16-4.
Govs starting pitcher Jacob Weaver wove his way through six innings, allowing four runs while scattering seven hits. He retired 12 of 13 batters between, allowing two runs in the first and two runs in the sixth inning. Relievers Devin Crawford, Dan Merrill, and Zach Wyatt – each ending their APSU careers Friday – recorded an out each in the seventh inning, securing the victory.
Bay led the Govs with his 2-for-4, two-homer, five-RBI night. Miller-Green went 3-for-4 with an RBI and scored three times. Aribal was 2-for-4 with a double and three RBI. First baseman Michael Robinson was 2-for-5 with an RBI, and catcher Jacob Curtis drove in a run and scored a run in their final games as Governors.
Jacksonville State (27-29), which secured a spot in the tournament semifinals Thursday night, saw first baseman Derrick Jackson provide three of the team's four runs. Jackson hit an RBI single in the first inning and a two-run home run in the sixth. JSU starting pitcher Collin Casey (0-1) went three innings and allowed five runs.
Austin Peay concludes the first season of the Roland Fanning era with a six-game improvement over the previous season. The Govs return to action in 266 days when they open the 2024 season on Feb. 16, 2024.
