GAME 33: Austin Peay 6, Tennessee State 5
GAME 34: Austin Peay 8, Tennessee State 0 (5)
RECORDS: TSU (8-26, 4-20), Austin Peay (22-9, 17-7)
FIELD: Cathi Maynard Park
LOCATION: Clarksville, Tenn.
WEATHER: Partly Sunny, 57
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. --- Tennessee State showed its power on Saturday afternoon, but it was not enough as they dropped the first two games of a three-game series at Austin Peay. The Tigers lost a heartbreaker 6-5 in the opener and went down 8-0 in five innings in game two.
The Big Blue received home runs from three different batters in game one to garner a 5-3 advantage heading to the bottom of the fifth inning. But the home standing Governors used a two-run home run of their own to even the score in the fifth and manufactured a run in the sixth to steal the win away from TSU.
Anayah Baker-Rowell drove the second pitch of the game over the wall in left for the first of two runs in the opening frame.
Renae Spears then crushed a ball out of the park to even the score at 3-3 in the third. Junior
Lauren Farias gave the Tigers the lead in the fourth with a rocket off the scoreboard in left to generate the 5-3 lead.
It is the first time the Tigers have had three dingers in a game since 2013 and the first for three players to do it in the same game since 2009.
Francys King dropped to 3-4, giving up six runs, five earned, on eight hits and a walk.
Game two was all Austin Peay as they scored seven runs in the first inning off
Raven Loveless (2-13).
Baker,
Bri Vire and
Marisa Mauroschadt each collected a hit in the night cap.
Ivory Jones,
Analeigh Coursey and Vire registered hits in game one along with the three long balls.
GAME 1
- Anayah Baker hit the second pitch of the game over the left field wall for the Tigers first lead in nine game.
- Marisa Mauroschadt followed with a walk and moved to second on a Renae Spears sacrifice bunt.
- The sophomore scored two batters later on a Bri Vire single down the right field line.
- Austin Peay responded with a pair of runs in the bottom half of the inning and took a 3-2 lead with a run in the second.
- In the third, Renae Spears hammered her first career home run over the wall in centerfield to even the score at 3-3.
- In the fourth, the Tigers took a 5-3 lead on a two-run blast by Lauren Farias.
- Analeigh Coursey led off the frame with a single to left center and scored as the shot from Farias sailed over the fence in left field.
- Baker followed with a walk, marking the last base runner for the Tigers as the next 10 batters went down on order.
- The Governors tied the score at 5-5 in the fifth with a two-out two-run home run off starter Francys King.
- APSU used a single, a stolen base and two ground outs to manufacture the go ahead run in the sixth.
- Raven Loveless entered the game with one out and a runner on third.
- Loveless enticed a ground out to second, but Coursey had no other option but to record the out at first.
- King was tagged with the loss and is now 3-4 on the year.
GAME 2
- Baker opened the second game with a double to left center and moved to third on a sacrifice bunt by Coursey.
- Coursey reached as the ball got away from the Govs second baseman.
- The Tigers threat was thwarted as Spears was thrown out at first trying to bunt and Baker was caught trying to score.
- Over the final four innings, TSU batters managed just two hits.
- Vire singled in the second and Mauroschadt picked up a base knock in the fifth.
- Austin Peay exploded for seven runs in the first inning as they sent 14 batters to the plate.
- Loveless faced the first nine batters and surrendered seven runs on six hits and two walks.
- The junior struck out one batter, the only out she recorded in the frame.
- Lauren Powell entered to face the final four batters of the first.
- Powell walked the first batter she face and hit the third before ending the lengthy inning with her lone punch out of the day.
- The redshirt-senior worked a one hit scoreless second and was relieved by Kennedy McCurry.
- McCurry worked the final 2.3 innings, allowing am unearned run on one hit.
UP NEXT:
The Tigers and Governors conclude the three-game series on Sunday at 12:00 p.m.
NOTES:
- The Tigers wore their white uniforms with blue socks.
- These were games eight and nine of a 12-game road trip.
- Anayah Baker's hit streak to seven games as she led off game one with a home run and opened game two with a double.
- Renae Spears and Lauren Farias hit their first career home runs.
- Game one was the first three home run game by the Tigers since Mar. 2, 2013 versus Maryland-Eastern Shore.
- On that day, Audrey Sensing hit two home runs, while Jana Hanawahine hit another.
- TSU now has 12 dingers on the season, which ties the 2014 squad for 10th in TSU history.
- The three blasts by three separate players is only the second time the feat has happened in program history.
- The only other occasion came on Apr. 14, 2009 in game one against Lipscomb.
- It is also the only time the Big Blue has hit four home runs in one game.
- Caitlin Eaton hit two long balls to go along with one each from Royesha Goodman and Melanie Cruz.
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