Bullpen collapse costs Vanderbilt against APSU

NASHVILLE, Tenn.—Vanderbilt pitchers walked 13 men and hit two, as the Commodores blew a five-run lead in a 7-6 loss to Austin Peay at Hawkins Field on Wednesday evening.

Twice down to their last strike, the Governors (3-4) battled to stay alive. A two-out, two-RBI Matt Joslin hit scored Tyler Brown to tie in the ninth.

In the 10th, with A.J. Franklin with two outs and the bases loaded, shortstop Ethan Paul's throw didn't make it to Martin in time at second to record a third out and the bases loaded provided the go-ahead run.

Franklin walked the next hitter for another run.

Jackson Gillis, who started the ninth--his first appearance of the year--was charged with the loss. He walked two men in one-third of an inning.

APSU's Brian Newburg struck out five over three innings to pick up the win. He gave up two hits and two walks and one run.

VU out-hit APSU, 12-6, but left 13 men on base.

Second baseman Austin Martin led VU (6-2) with three hits and also walked once, while first baseman Stephen Scott belted a three-run home run.

Scott’s homer came on a 3-1 pitch with two out in the third against right-hander Tyler Thompson. It was his first of the season and went over the bleachers behind the 375 sign in the right-field power alley.

Starter Chance Huff was terrific most of the day, using a four-seam fastball that sat 91-92, a two-seamer that registered 88 and a breaking pitch to keep APSU off balance.

He didn’t five up a base runner until he hit Parker Phillips with two out in the fourth. Before that, Martin made an outstanding play to rob Garrett Kueber of a leadoff single, ranging to his left and then throwing across his body to first.

But Huff tired in the fifth, walking Andrew Flaherty and giving up a double to David Martinez to start the inning. One-out walks to Gino Avros and Kueber loaded the bases, the last producing a run.

VU went to Hugh Fisher. Malcolm Tipler then bounced one over Jayson Gonzalez’s head at third, pulling the Governors within two.

APSU put two on against Fisher with two out in the seventh, but Kumar Rocker entered and struck out Aaron Campbell on three pitches.

Meanwhile, offensive frustration mounted for VU. The Commodores left the bases loaded in the fourth and fifth, and hit into a double play to end the sixth and seventh--the latter coming with the bases loaded--and then two more in the eighth.

Tyler Brown, on in relief for Jake Eder--who registered two outs in the ninth, but also walked the bases loaded--gave up a single on a 2-2 pitch to Matt Joslin to tie the game.

Martin extended his hitting streak to 18 games, and his on-base streak, to 23, with a first-inning double. He struck out in the fourth for just the second time all season, coming on his 40th plate appearance this season.

First baseman Julian Infante missed his seventh straight game. He suffered a head injury in the opener.

It was VU's first extra-inning game of the season.

V1: Bleday single through short scored Martin. VU, 1-0

V3: Clarke single to center scored Davis. VU, 2-0

V3: Scott home run to right-center scored Davis and Martin. VU, 5-0

A5: Kueber walk from Huff scored Flaherty. VU, 5-1

A5: Tipler double off Fisher scored Martinez and Avros. VU, 5-3

A9: Joslin single off Brown scored Spain, Tipler. Tied-5

A10: Phillips reaches on fielder's choice, scoring Remy. A, 6-5

A10: Spain walk off Franklin scored Avros. A, 7-5

V11: Martin scored on Bleday's sacrifice fly. A, 7-6