Austin Peay Outlasts Liberty in 18-15 Slugfest

After Liberty rallied to tie the game with six runs in the eighth inning, Austin Peavy Governors plated three in the ninth for an 18-15 win over the Flames, Saturday afternoon at Worthington Field at Liberty Baseball Stadium.

The Flames jumped out to an 8-2 advantage in the first inning, only to see the Governors storm back to take a 15-9 lead into the bottom of the eighth inning, including plating six runs in the fourth inning.

In the bottom of the eighth, Liberty struck for six runs, highlighted by a grand slam by second baseman Nathan Keeter to knot the score at 15-15, only to fall short in the ninth.

Keeter belted two home runs in the contest, a three-run home run in the first inning and a grand slam in the eighth, knocking in a career-high seven RBI. The home runs were the first of the season for Keeter.

Flames third baseman Cam Foster hit his third home run of the season and scored three times.

The two teams combined to hit seven home runs in the contest, as Austin Peavy hit four home runs.

Liberty drops to 2-3 in the ASUN and falls to 10-12 overall. Austin Peay evens the ASUN series at 1-1. The Governors move to 3-2 in conference play and 10-13 overall.

Box Score Highlights

Records: Austin Peay (10-13, 3-2 ASUN); Liberty (10-12, 2-3 ASUN)

Location: Lynchburg, Va. (Worthington Field at Liberty Baseball Stadium)

WP: Davin Pollard (1-0) | LP: Jeremy Beamon (0-1)

Scoring Summary

1^st INNING – APSU - Miller-Green homers, 1-0

1^st INNING – APSU - Gazdar flies out, Martin scores, 2-0

1^st INNING – LIBERTY - Horton walks, Troyer scores (unearned), 2-1

1^st INNING – LIBERTY - Lazzaro walks, Hillier scores, 2-2

1^st INNING – LIBERTY - Guy singles, Horton and Foster score, 4-2

1^st INNING – LIBERTY - Kepley reaches on fielder’s choice, Lazzaro scores, 5-2

1^st INNING – LIBERTY - Keeter homers, Kepley and Guy score, 8-2

3^rd INNING – APSU - Martin homers, Gray and Barksdale (unearned) score, 8-5

4^th INNING – APSU - Miller-Green singles, Freeman scores, 8-6

4^th INNING – APSU - Martin singles, Gray and Barksdale score, 8-8

4^th INNING – APSU - J. Brown homers, Martin and Miller-Green score, 11-8

4^th INNING – LIBERTY - Foster homers, 11-9

5^th INNING – APSU - Miller-Green grounds out, Barksdale scores, 12-9

5^th INNING – APSU - Gazdar homers, Gray scores, 14-9

8^th INNING – APSU - Gazdar scores on a wild pitch, 15-9

8^th INNING – LIBERTY - Horton singles, Hillier scores, 15-10

8^th INNING – LIBERTY - Lazzaro singles, Foster scores, 15-11

8^th INNING – LIBERTY - Keeter homers, Kepley, Lazzaro and Horton score, 15-15

9^th INNING – APSU - H. Brown singles, Martin and Barksdale score, 17-15

9^th INNING – APSU - J. Brown singles, Gazdar scores, 18-15

Notable Numbers

- Austin Peay collected 17 hits in the contest and committed three errors. Liberty had 10 hits in the game and made one error.

- The Flames left seven men on base. The Governors left six.

- Liberty first baseman Brayden Horton joined Keeter with two hits in the game. The freshman drove in two runs and scored two runs.

- Shortstop Jake Lazzaro had a hit and walked times in the game. He had two RBI and scored twice for the Flames.

- Liberty starting pitcher Garrett Gainey takes the loss. He allowed nine runs on nine hits over three innings. He struck out three and walked one.

- Liberty reliever Jeremy Beamon takes the loss. The fifth Flames pitcher in the game, he gave up three runs on two hits in the ninth. He struck out one and walked three.

- Flames reliever Trey Cooper gave up one run on two hits over three innings of relief. He struck out four.

- Austin Peavy reliever Davin Pollard picks up the win. The seventh Governors pitcher in the contest, he retired all four batters he faced over 1 1/3 innings.

- Center fielder Garrett Martin had three hits, including his ninth home run, and five RBI in the game for Austin Peay. He scored four times.

- Governors second baseman Jon Jon Gazdar also collected three hits, including his second home run of the season in the contest, driving in three runs and scoring three times.

- Austin Peay shortstop Jaden Brown hit his fourth home run of the season as part of his two hits in the game. He knocked in four runs and scored a run.

Beyond the Box Score

- Liberty’s 15 runs are a season-high for the Flames. The total eclipses yesterday’s 12 runs scored in its victory over Austin Peay.

- The Flames hit three home runs in the game, tying their season-high. Liberty has hit three home runs in a game three times in 2023.

- Keeter hit the first grand slam of his career and collected a career-high seven RBI in the game. The total eclipses his previous high of three RBI in an 8-5 victory at FGCU on May 15, 2022. The sophomore also had his first multi-hit game of the season in the contest.

- With two hits in the game, Horton records his third multi-hit game of the year.

- Liberty designated hitter Gray Betts led off the bottom of the first inning with a single. The senior has at least one hit in each of the last seven games and has reached base in 16 consecutive games. Both are team highs for the Flames.

- Three Hillier extended his reached base safely streak to 15 straight games, with a single and a walk in the contest.

Next Up

Liberty and Austin Peay will finish their three-game ASUN series tomorrow afternoon at Worthington Field at Liberty Baseball Stadium. Game time is scheduled for 1 p.m.

Featured in Main Photo: Nathan Keeter

Schedule

Austin Peay Outlasts Liberty in 18-15 Slugfest

Next Event

Team Stats

Brayden Horton

Nathan Keeter

Gray Betts

Camden Troyer

Austin Peay Outlasts Liberty in 18-15 Slugfest

Related News

Next Event

Team Stats

Game Leaders

Brayden Horton

Nathan Keeter

Gray Betts

Camden Troyer

Related News

Related Videos