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The Austin Peay Governors topped Eastern Kentucky to win the 2013 Ohio Valley Conference Baseball Championship on Saturday.
The first game of the day saw No. 5 seed Eastern Kentucky eliminate No. 1 Tennessee Tech to advance to the Championship Round where they lost to the Governors.
This season marked the 35th time the event has been held and the fourth year in a row it has been held at The Ballpark at Jackson (formerly Pringles Park) in Jackson, Tenn. The venue is home of the Jackson Generals, the AA-affiliate of the Seattle Mariners.
Game 9: #5 Eastern Kentucky 6, #1 Tennessee Tech 4
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Game 10: #2 Austin Peay 6, #5 Eastern Kentucky 3
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#5 EASTERN KENTUCKY 6, #1 TENNESSEE TECH 4
JACKSON, Tenn. - No. 5 seed Eastern Kentucky came-from-behind to eliminate No.1 seed and regular season champion Tennessee Tech 6-4 in Game 9 of the 2013 OVC Baseball Championship on Saturday at The Ballpark at Jackson.
The victory pushed EKU (23-33) into the Championship Round where it will have to beat Austin Peay twice to claim its first OVC Tournament title since 1989. The first game of that series is at 3:45 p.m. on Saturday.
Tennessee Tech saw its season end at 40-17. The 40 victories were a program record.
Tennessee Tech jumped out to a 3-0 lead after three innings before Eastern Kentucky got on the board with two runs in the fourth inning.
But it was not until the seventh inning that the Colonels would do the majority of its damage and take a lead. Bryan Soloman and Alex Hughes had RBI hits and Kenny Hostrander singled home two runs as EKU scored four times (three off Tech closer Seth Lucio) to grab a 6-3 lead.
Senior lefty Shane Grimm (5-5) did the rest, pitching 8.1 strong innings to lead the EKU attack. Grimm struck out three and walked only one while scattering seven hits.
Cody Creamer came on to record the final two outs and pick up his fifth save of the season and second in this tournament. Creamer struck out Tech slugger Zach Stephens with the tying run on first base to end the game.
Lucio (3-2) was tagged with the loss, allowing three runs in two innings of work.
#2 AUSTIN PEAY 6, #5 EASTERN KENTUCKY 3
JACKSON, Tenn. - No. 2 seed Austin Peay defeated No. 5 seed Eastern Kentucky 6-3 to capture the 2013 Ohio Valley Conference Baseball Championship on Saturday at The Ballpark at Jackson.
With the victory Austin Peay (45-13) earned the OVC's automatic bid to the 2013 NCAA Division I Baseball Championship. That field will be announced on Monday at 11:00 a.m. CT on ESPNU.
It is the sixth overall OVC Tournament Championship and third-straight for Austin Peay, joining titles the Governors won in 1996, 2005, 2007, 2011 and 2012. The Govs are the first OVC team to three-peat since Middle Tennessee won three-straight from 1990-92.
Austin Peay, ranked No. 26 in the NCBWA Top 30, enters the NCAA Tournament having won 15 in a row and 19 of its last 20. The team has also now won 10 of its last 11 OVC Tournament games dating back to 2011.
The 45 victories are a new program record for APSU; the OVC single-season record is 47 by Western Kentucky in 1980.
Austin Peay senior Reed Harper, who hit a three-run home run in the bottom of the first inning, started and played in his 233rd career game, tying the OVC career record for games started (Bert Smith, Jacksonville State). He is one game away from tying the career games played record (also held by Smith).
That three-run home run tied the game after EKU had scored three times in the top of first inning.
Jordan Hankins added a RBI single in the next inning to give the Govs the lead for good although the team added solo insurance runs in the sixth and eighth innings.
In relief of Ryan Quick, All-OVC selection Lee Ridenhour (7-1), making his first appearance in three weeks, picked up the victory. He allowed just one hit over 2.1 innings. Tyler Rogers finished off the game, recording his 21st save of the season, putting him just two off the NCAA single-season record. It was his 33rd career save, which set a new OVC record.
Cody Hudson and Dylan Riner each had three hits for Austin Peay. Shaun Ball was 3-for-4 for EKU.
It marked the first time that Eastern Kentucky, who has appeared in a record 29 OVC Tournaments, had been in the Championship Round since 2003. The Colonels had entered this year’s event having lost six-straight OVC Tournament games.
2013 OVC All-Tournament Team
Jason Blum, Southeast Missouri
Alex Hughes, Eastern Kentucky
Luke Wurzelbacher, Eastern Kentucky
Craig Massoni, Austin Peay
Jordan Hankins, Austin Peay
Reed Harper, Austin Peay
Cody Hudson, Austin Peay
Kyle Nowlin, Eastern Kentucky
Michael Davis, Austin Peay
Bryan Soloman, Eastern Kentucky
Chase Brookshire, Belmont
Shane Grimm, Eastern Kentucky
Tristan Archer, Tennessee Tech
MVP: Reed Harper, Austin Peay