Austin Peay Baseball Wins High-Scoring Game Over Eastern Kentucky

Governors move into first-place tie in Atlantic Sun Conference with 12-9 victory

Apr. 5, 2026 at 3:35am

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The Austin Peay State University baseball team won its third Atlantic Sun Conference series after coming away with a 12-9 victory over Eastern Kentucky to close out the weekend series on Saturday. The Governors overcame an early deficit, scoring six runs in the final four innings to secure the win and move into a first-place tie in the conference standings.

Why it matters

This victory keeps Austin Peay in contention for the Atlantic Sun Conference regular season title, which would secure an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The Governors have been one of the top teams in the conference all season and this win over a conference rival on the road demonstrates their ability to win close, high-scoring games.

The details

Eastern Kentucky jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the second inning, but Austin Peay responded with two runs of their own in the third to tie it. The Colonels then retook the lead with a three-run third inning, but the Governors evened the score again in the fourth. Austin Peay took the lead for good in the fifth with a bases-clearing double by freshman Houston Hebert, and they tacked on six more runs over the final four innings to secure the victory.

  • The game was played on Saturday, April 4, 2026 in Richmond, Kentucky.
  • Austin Peay scored two runs in the top of the third inning to tie the game at 2-2.
  • Eastern Kentucky scored three runs in the bottom of the third inning to take a 5-2 lead.
  • Austin Peay scored four runs in the top of the fifth inning to take an 8-5 lead.
  • The Governors added four more runs in the final four innings to win 12-9.

The players

Zion Taylor

A senior outfielder for Austin Peay who drove in two runs with a sacrifice fly.

Andres Matias

A graduate student infielder for Austin Peay who scored a run and drove in another with a sacrifice fly.

Paris Pridgen

A redshirt junior infielder for Austin Peay who had an RBI single in the fourth inning.

Houston Hebert

A freshman infielder for Austin Peay who hit a bases-clearing double in the fifth inning to give the Governors the lead.

Khaleel Pratt

A player for Eastern Kentucky who hit a game-tying home run in the fifth inning.

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What they’re saying

“This was a big conference win for us on the road. We showed a lot of fight to come back from an early deficit and then hold on for the victory.”

— Zion Taylor, Senior Outfielder, Austin Peay

What’s next

The Austin Peay baseball team will wrap up its nine-game road stretch with a midweek matchup against Tennessee Tech on Tuesday, April 8th at 6:00pm in Cookeville.

The takeaway

Austin Peay's ability to win a high-scoring, back-and-forth conference game on the road demonstrates their resilience and offensive firepower, keeping them in the hunt for the Atlantic Sun regular season title and an NCAA Tournament berth.