Mississippi State
Austin Peay State
Lane Homers Twice As APSU Nips State 3-2 In 11 Innings
January 01, 1970 | Baseball
* Official Statistics (PDF)
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. - First baseman Jake Lane drove in three runs with two home runs, the second a towering one-out blast to left in the bottom of the11th inning that lifted Austin Peay (31-17) to a 3-2 win over Mississippi State (31-13) Tuesday night at Raymond C. Hand Park. The win extended APSU's winning streak to nine games.
Lane got the walk-off hit off John Lalor (2-1), who had replaced State freshman starter Tyler Whitney in the seventh and held APSU scoreless for three innings. It was the lone run and the third hit allowed by Lalor in 3-1/3 innings of relief.
Both teams pitched well tonight, but Lane was the hero of the night, said Bulldog coach Ron Polk. He drove in all three runs on two swings. We had some well-hit balls tonight, too, but they seemed to die at the wall.
The Governor's ended a scoreless duel between the two teams in the fourth inning. Tyler Farrar opened the inning with a double, and first baseman Lane smacked his sixth home run of the year to left-center for a 2-0 Austin Peay lead.
Mississippi State, held scoreless on three-hit pitching by APSU starter Michael Dunn over the first five innings, broke scoring ice in the sixth inning when catcher Edward Easley delivered a two-out solo home run off Dunn in the sixth. It was Easley's team-leading 12th home run of the year.
The Bulldogs pulled even in the top of the ninth off relief pitcher David Vicini. Brian LaNinfa punched a single through the right side of the infield and Connor Powers advanced pinch-runner Michael Rutledge to second with an infield groundout. Freshman Brandon Turner then delivered a pinch-hit single that sent Rutledge home with the tying run.
Matt Kole (2-0) replaced Vicini with two out in the 11th and picked up the win after Lane's game-ending home run.
Lane's home runs spoiled a solid performance by Bulldog pitchers Tyler Whitney and John Lalor. Whitney worked a career-longest seven innings, allowing two runs on seven hits with one walk and seven strikeouts. Lalor, who entered the game with two APSU runners aboard and no outs in the seventh, successfully worked out of the jam and held the Governors scoreless until Lane's home run.
Brian LaNinfa had a pair of singles to lead MSU's seven-hit attack. APSU got two-hit efforts by Tyler Farrar and Lane.
Dunn, the APSU starter, allowed a run on four hits with no walks and four strikeouts over six innings. Vicini gave up the other MSU run on 4-2/3 innings of solid three-hit relief.
The Bulldogs and the Governors close out their two-game midweek series Wednesday with a 6 p.m. game. Sophomore Jesse Carver 0-0, 9.37) will draw his second start of the year Wednesday opposite APSU lefty Stephen Huff (2-3).
