SUNDAY'S SCORES
Austin Peay 22, @UT Martin 11
AUSTIN PEAY 22, UT MARTIN 11
MARTIN, Tenn. - Designated hitter Matt Joslin had seven RBI while both right fielder Parker Phillips and first baseman Andrew Flaherty had six RBI as Austin Peay State University’s baseball team enjoyed its most prolific offensive outing of the season in a 22-11 Ohio Valley Conference victory against UT Martin, Sunday at Skyhawk Field..
Austin Peay (21-17, 13-8 OVC) trailed 4-1 after UT Martin shortstop Casey Harford’s grand slam in the first inning. But the Governors responded quickly with a six-run second inning, capped by Phillips’ grand slam, which gave Austin Peay a 7-4 lead.
UT Martin (15-24, 5-13 OVC) would keep the game close, scoring twice in its half of the second only to watch the Govs counter in the third. Again it was Phillips’ bat that did the damage as he hit his second home run of the contest, a two-run shot that pushed the score to 9-6.
The Govs would extend their lead again in the fifth as Joslin and Flaherty’s bats started to find their rhythm. Joslin hit a bases-loaded two-run double and Flaherty followed with an RBI ground out, and the Govs led 14-8 after five frames.
Austin Peay closed strongly as well, scoring eight runs in the final three innings. Flaherty hit a three-run home run to right field in the seventh. Joslin then hit a grand slam in the ninth – his second grand slam of the week – to seal the victory.
Joslin went 4-for-6 with seven RBI, a double, grand slam and scored four times. Phillips also had a three-hit day at the plate with his two home runs and six RBI. Flaherty's 3-for-6 outing included a home run and six RBI. Left fielder Aaron Campbell reached base safely in all seven of his plate appearances, going 4-for-4 with three walks and five runs scored.
Ryan Kouba (2-0) picked up the win after entering the game in the first inning and lasting 3.1 innings. Austin Peay used seven pitchers in the contest, and the bullpen also finished strongly with the final four Govs pitchers combining to allow one run over the last three innings.
UT Martin starter Winston Cannon (4-7) allowed seven runs on seven hits and four walks over two innings and suffered the loss. Harford went 4-for-5 with six RBI to lead the Skyhawks offense.