CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – Second baseman Ambren Voitik hit for the cycle and led Austin Peay State University's baseball team to a 6-4 victory against Gonzaga Monday afternoon on Joe Maynard Field at Raymond C. Hand Park.
Voitik became the first Governors hitter to hit for the cycle since Alex Robles in 2017, who was ironically inducted into the APSU Athletics Hall of Fame Saturday. Voitik started his cycle with a run-scoring triple in the second inning. He tacked on a leadoff home run in the fourth inning and then a run-scoring double in the fifth that pushed the Govs lead to 6-0. Voitik finished the day with a seventh-inning single, capping his 4-for-4, three RBI effort.
Meanwhile, Austin Peay starting pitcher Lyle Miller-Green (2-0) opened the game with five scoreless innings for the second straight start. He had to work around trouble in the first four innings, stranding two runners on base in each frame. Miller-Green would retire seven consecutive batters after allowing back-to-back singles in the fourth.
Gonzaga (1-6) broke up the shutout when center fielder Max Coupe hit a two-out home run in the fifth inning. Miller-Green returned to start the sixth but issued a walk to the first batter he faced, ending his outing. Gonzaga left fielder Vincent Temesvary's two-run home run made the Govs pay for the leadoff walk. Austin Peay's bullpen then saw four consecutive batters reach base without a hit, surrendering another run and narrowing the deficit to 6-4.
The Govs turned to Tyler Hampu to shut down the threat, and he quickly retired two batters to end the seventh inning with APSU holding on to that 6-4 lead. Hampu then worked around a one-out walk in an eighth inning that saw him strikeout three batters. Closer Titan Kennedy-Hayes retired the Bulldogs in order in the ninth inning to record his third save.
Austin Peay (8-1), which won its eighth straight game, enjoyed another 13-hit day at the plate. Left fielder Clayton Gray had two hits and two walks. Center fielder John Bay hit his fifth home run in a 1-for-4 outing.
Coupe led Gonzaga's offense with a 3-for-4 day and Temesvary went 2-for-5 with two RBI. Miles Gosztola (0-1) allowed three runs on seven hits over his two-inning start.
Conley, Devine Sweep Atlantic Sun Conference Weekly Awards
ATLANTA, Ga. – Austin Peay State University catcher Trevor Conley and pitcher Andrew Divine swept the Atlantic Sun Conference's weekly baseball awards, announced during Monday's game.
Conley, a Mt. Carmel, Ohio product, was the starting catcher in four of the Govs' five games during the week and led the team with a .615 batting average (8-for-13). In Wednesday's come-from-behind win at Mississippi State, his two-out ninth-inning double provided the game-winning RBI against MSU on Wednesday. It capped a 3-for-3 day at the plate, including a solo home run in the eighth inning to close the deficit to one run. Conley started the first two games of the UMES series and was 2-for-4 in the opener and 2-for-3 in Game 2 before getting Sunday off.
Devine tossed a complete game one-hit shutout in Saturday's win against Maryland Eastern Shore, His 12 strikeouts in the seven-inning win were the most by a Governors' pitcher since the 2019 season. Devine, who improved to 2-0, allowed only one hit on the afternoon – a first-inning one-out double by UMES' Danny Sadler Jr. He then retired eight consecutive batters before allowing a leadoff walk to Sadler Jr. in the fourth. That was the last baserunner he allowed as he retired the 12 batters – striking out seven.
Govs Receive Votes in NCBWA Poll
DALLAS, Texas – Austin Peay State University's baseball team was among the teams receiving votes in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association's Poll, released Monday. The Govs posted a 5-0 record last week, including two wins at Mississippi State. It is the first time since 2013 Austin Peay has received votes in the four national collegiate baseball polls.
