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HomeSportsAPSU Baseball falls 5-1 to Eastern Kentucky at OVC Baseball Championship

APSU Baseball falls 5-1 to Eastern Kentucky at OVC Baseball Championship

APSU Sports Information

APSU BaseballOxford, AL – Austin Peay State University starting pitcher Jacques Pucheu became the third APSU pitcher to record 100 strikeouts in a season, but his six-strikeout performance against Eastern Kentucky wasn’t enough in a 5-1 loss in the Ohio Valley Conference Baseball Championship, Wednesday night at Choccolocco Park.

Austin Peay Baseball's offense unable to get on track Thursday night in 5-1 loss to Eastern Kentucky. (APSU Sports Information)
Austin Peay Baseball’s offense unable to get on track Thursday night in 5-1 loss to Eastern Kentucky. (APSU Sports Information)

Austin Peay (30-27) sees its season end after reaching the OVC baseball tournament for the third consecutive year.

The Governors posted 30 wins for the second time under third-year head coach Travis Janssen.

Pucheu (7-4) reached the 100-strikeout mark in the game’s first four innings, striking out six of the first 14 batters he faced. He would make it into sixth inning, holding EKU to three runs through five innings before seeing the Colonels capitalize on an error for two more runs in the sixth.

Eastern Kentucky (29-30) got on the board first as right fielder Nick Howie hit a one-out home run in the first inning. The Colonels then would get two doubles – from shortstop Ryland Kerr and second baseman Daniel Harris – to add a run and extend the lead to 2-0 after two innings.

Pucheu would rally to hold the Colonels off the scoreboard in the third and fourth frames but a leadoff walk in the fifth would come back to haunt him. Catcher Alex Holderbach would bring the leadoff free pass home three batters later with a single.

Meanwhile, the Governors could not solve Eastern Kentucky starter Austin Perry (5-2). The right-hander stymied the Govs through a career-high seven frames, holding them to five hits and two walks. Austin Peay was 0-for-14 with a runner on base against him until first baseman Parker Phillips railed a double off the wall in the eighth to break up the shutout bid.

Right fielder Kyle Wilson went 2-for-2 with a walk for the Governors. Left fielder Malcolm Tipler also had a pair of hits and catcher David Martinez chipped in a hit.  

Kerr would hit a pair of doubles in a 2-for-3 outing that saw him score twice. Howie also went 2-for-3 with a RBI and run scored.

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