MACOMB, IL – Head Coach Terry Davis’s tenure as the man in charge could not have started any better as Western Illinois defeated Austin Peay 6-5 in Clarksville, TN, on Friday morning. The Leathernecks move to 1-0 for the first time since 2021 when they defeated #4 Louisville.
WIU’s offense showed no rust from the offseason as Kyree Alexander reached base to start the ball game. Liam Bushey followed with a walk, giving Western Illinois a runner-in-scoring position, and WIU capitalized. Back-to-back doubles by Maxton Polad and Adam Juran brought in Alexander and Bushey, giving WIU an early 2-0 lead. Jason Buhl took the bump, making his Leatherneck debut. Buhl worked around some baserunners in the opening innings, picking up a big strikeout to keep the score at 2-0.
The Leathernecks offense backed up their starter in the top of the third inning. Bushey drew his second walk, and Polad advanced him to second with a single through the left side, giving Juran another RBI opportunity. With a 1-2 count, Juran took the pitch to deep left-center for a three-run home run, giving WIU a 5-0 lead.
Austin Peay rallied, scoring a run in the bottom of the third and four in the bottom of the fifth, tying the game at 5-5. Western Illinois would not panic as they put runners in scoring position in the 6th and 7th innings. In the 8th inning, Jackson Horn was hit by a pitch to give the Leathernecks a leadoff base runner. Max Slavens sac bunted Horn to second base with two outs in an 0-2 count. Freshman Trevor Leon delivered an RBI double down the right field line, putting the Leathernecks back in front 6-5.
After the four-run 5th inning for Austin Peay, WIU pitching took charge. Mason Telford worked around a one-out double to pitch a scoreless 6th. Cole Dale worked a one-two-three inning with a strikeout in the 7th. Caden Kratz did the rest as he pitched a scoreless 8th and 9th inning getting a double play to finish the ball game.
Adam Juran led the Leathernecks offense, going 2-5, with a home run, a double, and four RBI. Maxton Polad finished 3-5 with a double and RBI. Western Illinois’ three and four hitters combined for 5-10 with three extra-base hits and five RBIs. Liam Bushey drew two out of the four Leatherneck walks, and Trevor Leon went 1-4 with a game-winning RBI double.
Jason Buhl went 4.1 innings, striking out three in his first outing. The Leatherneck bullpen went 4.2, striking out three as well and allowing zero runs. Cole Dale picks up his first win in a Western Illinois jersey as Caden Kratz picks up his first save of the season.
Western Illinois squares off against Austin Peay in game two of the three-game series at 2:00 p.m.
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