June 2, 2007
Box Score | Post-Game Notes and Quotes
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NASHVILLE — In a high scoring affair that featured a three-hour rain delay, No. 4-seed Austin Peay beat No. 3-seed Memphis 18-7 in an elimination game in the Nashville Regional. The Governors had two six-run innings to open the flood gates and overwhelm the Tigers in a game that lasted six hours and fifty-four minutes. Austin Peay advances to play the loser of the Vanderbilt-Michigan match-up at 2 p.m. C.D.T. on Sunday.
“I’m really proud of our team and very excited,” Austin Peay coach Gary McClure said. “It’s our first NCAA win in Austin Peay history in baseball and we got (win) No. 40 tonight. Our guys really came out after a really, really tough emotional loss. Our guys did a good job of that and I’m really proud of them.”
Showing no signs of a hangover from their loss the night before, Austin Peay came out in the first inning and scored six runs, knocking out Memphis starter Ben Grisham after he recorded only one out. The scoring was highlighted by a two-run single by Jake Lane and a two-run double by Josh Kemph.
Memphis added three runs in their own in the bottom of the second, only to see Austin Peay come back with three more runs to begin the fourth inning. At 3:34 p.m. C.D.T. with two outs and two runners on, the skies opened up and the field was cleared immediately, delaying the game until 7 p.m.
Regrouping during the break, Memphis scored four in the bottom of the fourth, with Adam Amar adding a two-run homer, his third of the regional. But the Governors were not to be denied, scoring six runs to start the next inning, adding one more in the sixth and two more in the seventh.
“It was just a rough game,” Amar said. “Austin Peay played Vanderbilt very tough yesterday and they were ready off that momentum. We had a tough loss to Michigan. I don’t think we came out flat; we gave it our all, but we just ran out of gas on the mound.”
For the game, Lane had three hits with two RBI and two runs, Tyler Farrar had three RBI and three runs, and Matt Smith added two runs and two RBI of his own. Amar led the way for Memphis with his two RBI and Chris Kirkland had two RBI and two runs scored.
