CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – Austin Peay State University's baseball team recorded five extra-base hits in its 12-8 win over Lipscomb to force a Sunday rubber match, Saturday, at Joe Maynard Field at Raymond C. Hand Park in Clarksville, Tennessee.

How it Happened

Austin Peay got off to an early start offensively in the first inning, as senior Zion Taylor doubled to left center before coming home to score on a single to left from redshirt junior Ray Velazquez. Then, in the second inning, the Governors found their first two batters of the inning reach base safely before being sacrificed over to second and third with one away. Junior Kyler Proctor came through with an RBI single up the middle on the first pitch he saw, before advancing to third on an error, and bringing another run across on the fielding error. The Governors would score three more runs in the inning to complete the five-run spot in the second, which was capped off by Taylor's two-run shot over the right-center field fence, putting the Govs up 6-0.

Lipscomb and Austin Peay bounced back and forth, each scoring a run in the third inning, before Lipscomb put up two runs in the top of the fourth with a double in the left field corner by Brady Miller.

The Governors responded in the bottom of the fourth by putting up another four runs on the board, beginning with a two-run homer off the bat of Velazquez. Then, with two outs in the inning, redshirt sophomore Cole Johnson and freshman Houston Hebert each collected base hits to put runners at the corners. Johnson would score on a passed ball before sophomore Mason Pangborn singled down the right field line to score Hebert.

The Bisons answered back two innings later in the sixth, putting up a three-spot, beginning with Kai Holm's RBI double to right center. He was followed up with an RBI groundout and a sacrifice fly from the next two batters to make it a five-run game.

Each squad would score a run each in the eighth inning, with Lipscomb following up with a one-run ninth on a sacrifice fly. But that would not be enough, as redshirt senior Jackson Hohensee came in and recorded three outs to finish the game.

Junior Bryce McCain picked up his first-career win to move to 1-0 on the season, as he went for 3.2 innings in relief and struck out three batters. He relieved junior DJ Merriweather, who made his first-career start on the mound and went four innings with four strikeouts.

Five Governors recorded multi-hit performances, with Hebert going 3-for-3 at the plate for his first-career multi-hit game. Six out of the nine batters in the starting lineup each had at least one RBI.

Up Next

The Governors will play in a rubber match with the Bisons to finish their second weekend of Atlantic Sun Conference play, starting at 1 p.m., Sunday, at Joe Maynard Field at Raymond C. Park in Clarksville, Tennessee.

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