CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – WKU Baseball dropped its final road midweek game 12-11 to Austin Peay on Tuesday night at Raymond C. Hand Park in Clarksville, Tenn.
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The Hilltoppers drop to 22-20 (7-11 in C-USA) while the Governors improve to 22-20.
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It was a high-scoring affair that saw a combined, 17 runs score through the first three innings with the Governors holding a 10-7 lead at the time. Three straight scoreless innings on both sides followed before the Tops inched closer with a two-run home run from AJ Fiechter to make it a one-run game in the top of the seventh at 10-9. After Austin Peay plated a run in the bottom of the seventh, the Tops knotted it up, 11-11, in the top of the eighth with an RBI single from Fiechter, but a late two-out double in the bottom of the ninth scored the winning run for the Governors to make the final score 12-11.
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Six arms made an appearance on the mound for WKU in what was a tough night for almost anybody who stepped on the rubber from each team. Cole Heath was the most effective Hilltopper pitcher, tossing 2.1 innings and allowing no runs on just one hit and one walk with two strikeouts in his 10th appearance of the season while Mason Burns received the losing decision in an inning where the first two outs were made on the first two batters before two straight hits from the Governors ended it.Â
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Offensively, three Hilltoppers recorded mult-hit performances with AJ Fiechter leading the way. The sophomore notched a 3-for-5 outing with a two-run home run, an RBI single, and a run scored in a career night at the plate for the shortstop. Ricardo Leonett also claimed three RBI, going 3-for-4 with a three-RBI double, a couple singles, and a run scored.
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SCORING SUMMARY
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The Hilltoppers scored five runs in the top of the first inning off back-to-back RBI walks from Kirk Liebert and Ty Crittenberger before a three-RBI double from Ricardo Leonett extended the early WKU lead to 5-0.
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The Governors responded in the bottom of the first with a three-RBI home run and an RBI single to cut the deficit to 5-4.
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In the top of the second, Tristin Garcia was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to walk in another run that was followed by Andrew Delaney hitting an RBI groundout to extend the lead to 7-4.
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Austin Peay used a sacrifice fly to make the score 7-5 in the bottom of the second.
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Five runs in the bottom of the third gave the Governors the lead, 10-7.
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A two-run home run from AJ Fiechter cut the Austin Peay lead to 10-9 in the top of the seventh.
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The Governors extended their lead to 11-9 with an RBI single.
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Two runs from WKU in the top of the eighth tied the game at 11-11 off an error from the Governors defense and an RBI single from AJ Fiechter.
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An RBI double in the bottom of the ninth from the Governors brought home the winning run, ending the game in a 12-11 loss for the Hilltoppers.
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UP NEXT
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The Hilltoppers will host a three-game, weekend series against C-USA opponent Charlotte beginning at 6 p.m. CT on Friday, April 28 at Nick Denes Field.
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How to follow WKU Baseball: For complete information on WKU Hilltopper Baseball, visit WKUSports.com or follow the program via social media @WKU_Baseball on Twitter and @WKUBaseball Instagram.
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