CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – An offensive showcase was on display Saturday night at the Austin Peay Invitational as the Indiana State baseball team picked up its first win of the young season over Youngstown State, 14-4, at Raymond C. Hand Park in Clarksville, Tennessee.
 
Coming off a Freshman All-American season a year ago, Tyler Ward did not disappoint in his first action of 2017. The second-year right-hander went five complete innings, giving up just three hits and one run while striking out six.
 
Ward had it going early, retiring YSU 1-2-3 in two of the first three innings, including a trio of strikeouts in the second.
 
Indiana State was led at the plate by Dane Giesler who finished 3-for-5 with a double, four RBIs and three runs scored. Tyler Friis, Clay Dungan and Brandt Nowaskie also added a pair of hits each for the Sycamores. Chris Ayers, Jeff Zahn and Dungan drove in three runners on the night.
 
The Sycamores (1-0) did not break into the hit column until the third inning when Dominic Bifano singled to right field. That was all it took for the Indiana State offense to get going as they pushed across five runs in the inning and never looked back. Ayers knocked in the first runners of the game as he collected a bases clearing double to left center to put the Sycamore son top 3-0.
 
Giesler, a redshirt junior, would put the knockout punch to the inning when he collected his first home run in a Sycamore uniform on a 1-2 count. Ayers would score on the play as well.
 
The Sycamores would add three more runs in the fifth inning after Zahn picked up a 2-RBI single and Dungan recorded an RBI groundout to cap things off.
 
Youngstown State looked to have things going in the fifth, but a good defensive play from the infield caught a would-be runner at the plate to end the threat.
 
In total, Indiana State finished the night with 14 hits while allowing just six. Austin Conway and Tyler Whitbread finished out the final four inning for ISU. Conway, a right-hander, gave up three runs in three innings of work while striking out two. Whitbread pitched the ninth and struck out two of the three batters he faced.
 
The Trees answered YSU's three runs with five of their own in the sixth after Tony Rosselli, Nowaskie and Friis each reached base. Giesler would pick up three of his four RBIs on the day after clearing the bases with a double to center. Dungan later sent Giesler to the plate with a triple. Dungan also picked up another RBI in the eighth when he singled through the infield to score Zahn.
 
Indiana State will close out the weekend Sunday at 4:30 p.m. ET when they face the host Governors. Senior southpaw Ryan Keaffaber will get the nod for the Sycamores.
 
For the latest information on the Sycamore Baseball team, be sure to visit GoSycamores.com. You can also find the team on social media on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.