Over the weekend, the APSU Governors (10-6, 4-2 OVC) had three Ohio Valley Conference matchups at Raymond C. Hand Park. The Govs took two wins and a loss. They are currently in third place in the OVC but are tied for best overall record.
During game one, the Govs faced the UT Martin Skyhawks, where they took their first win of the weekend 5-2.
The winning pitcher was redshirt senior Zach Hall (1-2), who got his first win since May 2013. Hall pitched for five and 2/3 innings, allowing two runs on just six hits. Redshirt senior A.J. Guara got the save for the Govs. The five runs go accredited to sophomore Garrett Copeland, junior Clayton Smithson, junior Patrick Massoni (2), and sophomore Alex Robles.
The next game started a three-game series against OVC competitors Jacksonville State University Gamecocks. Game one of the series was an 8-2 loss accredited to Robles (0-1).
The only two runs by the Govs were RBIs by Ridge Smith and Robles. Smith hit an RBI triple to right center field, scoring Copeland. The next run was an RBI double where Smith went on to score. This wasn’t enough for the Govs to stay undefeated in the OVC, taking their first conference loss.
Game two started out in favor of the Gamecocks, but the Govs came back to take the win 8-10.
In the bottom of the third, Smithson hit a solo home run. APSU then let JSU score one more run in the top of the fourth to make it 8-1. However, this was the last time JSU scored a run. In the bottom of the fourth with bases loaded, Caleb Mitchell singled to third, while all runners advanced, scoring a run.
The next score was accredited to Kyle Blackburn from a hit into a double play, still scoring a run. APSU tacked on two more runs by Copeland’s double and Smith’s RBI groundout in the sixth inning to make it 8-5. The bottom of the next inning, the Govs added three more runs to tie the game.
Smith was the only one with an RBI in the inning, while the others were scored on errors. In the eighth inning, the two go-ahead runs were off JSU errors, resulting in what would be the final score. The game’s winning pitcher was redshirt sophomore Hunter Lindley, while the save was accredited to sophomore Levi Premising.
The Govs have four away games next week, three at Murray State and one at Southern Illinois. They will return home Friday, March 27, against Tennessee Tech University at 6 p.m.
