CHARLESTON, Ill. - Austin Peay's softball team outlasted both Mother Nature and Eastern Illinois for a 5-3 Ohio Valley Conference victory Sunday afternoon, in the conclusion of a suspended game from Saturday.
The victory allowed the Lady Govs to split the series with the Panthers as APSU lost Saturday's opener. Heavy rains forced Sunday's third and final series game to be cancelled.
In fact, it appeared the Lady Govs (15-31, 7-12 OVC) would not get that opportunity to even complete the suspended game, being forced to settle for a tie. Dark clouds swirled with rain falling for most of the morning. Finally, the game was able to resume with the Lady Govs leading 5-3. Freshman pitcher Morgan Brewer induced a popup, a groundout and a game-ending strikeout to give the Lady Govs the victory.
The OVC victory, Sunday, brings the team total to seven this season, which matches the Lady Govs total number of conference victories for the last two years combined.
Brewer, who set the Austin Peay school record for appearances by a freshman (36) with the game's start, pitched 6 2/3 of the eight total innings in the game to pick up her season's 11th victory in 20 decisions.
The Lady Govs trailed three times in the game, with their first lead coming in the top of the eighth inning, 5-3, on Shelby Norton's third home run this season, which also drove in Shine Huwe, who had singled.
Austin Peay sent the game into extra innings, overcoming a 3-2 deficit entering the seventh inning. But cather Amy Mills earned a walk to open the frame and, after Tia Johnson came in to pinch run for her, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Randal Davenport. Johnson scored an out later on a double by Jessica Chernak.
Eastern Illinois (21-23, 11-8 OVC) took its first lead of the game in the third inning, but Austin Peay responded with Mills scoring an unearned run in the fifth to tie the game.
The Panthers regained the lead, 2-1, in the bottom of the inning, but once again the Lady Govs answered, this time in the top of the sixth on Catie Cozart's third home run of the season.
Eastern Illinois took its final lead of the game in the bottom of the sixth, 3-2, before Chernak tied the game the final time in the seventh.
The two teams weren't able to play the regularly scheduled Sunday game, as heavy rain returned just after the final out of the supended game, forcing its cancellation
--AP--
