CHARLESTON, Ill. – Austin Peay State University's softball team suffered two heartbreaking Ohio Valley Conference walk-off losses, Saturday at Glenn & Joan Williams Field, to Eastern Illinois by 4-3 and 3-2 – in eight innings -- finals.

The losses also did major damage to the Lady Govs (19-29, 7-15 OVC) chances to make the OVC post-season tournament for the first time since the 2007 season, as they fall to ninth in the standings (top eight teams make the tournament field) a game-and-a-half behind Morehead State with four games left in the regular season.

Game 1 was especially tough loss for the Lady Govs, as they led Eastern Illinois (36-13, 16-4 OVC) 3-0 heading into the bottom of the seventh inning, with senior Lauren de Castro (12-13) limiting the Panthers to just three hits through the first six innings.

But Reynae Hutchinson opened the inning with a single to center, followed by a chalk-line double by April Markowski to put Panthers on second and third, with no outs.

Carly Willert then broke-up the shutout with an RBI single, scoring Hutchinson to make it 3-1 and move Markowski to third.

Pinch-hitter Kaylie Bennett would make it 3-2 with a sacrifice fly to center field, scoring Markowski, followed by a bunt single by Haylee Beck.

After Beck stole second, Jennette Isaac laid down  to bring Willert in with the tying run, but de Castro's throw home to catcher Mel Pavel got away allowing Beck to come around to score the game-winner.

Austin Peay had scored its three runs in the top of the third inning, with Rikki Arkansas opening the inning with a triple to right field – and after a walk to Marissa Lake – scored on a sacrifice fly to deep left field by Kayla Davidson.

Arkansas led the Lady Govs with two hits.

An out later, de Castro made it 3-0 on her sixth home run of the season – a two-run shot out over the right-center field fence.

Game 2 was almost the reverse of the opening game, with EIU taking a 2-0 lead in the fourth inning and have their pitcher Stephanie Maday hurling a shutout for the first six innings of play.

But the Lady Govs finally broke through in the top of the seventh, with Davidson and Kristin Whitmire drawing back-to-back walks, with both runners moving up a base an out later on a ground ball by Vincheniza DiBenedetto.

That brought up Laurel Burroughs, who hit a liner back up the middle off Maday's glove into center field scoring Davidson and Whitmire to tie the game 2-2.

Burroughs' hit was the lone hit tallied against Maday, who finished the game with a career-high 17 strikeouts.

Austin Peay starter Sidney Hooper (4-6) pitched around a two-out double in the bottom of the seventh to force the game into extra innings.

Austin Peay went down in order in their half of the eighth inning, but the Lady Govs weren't so lucky with the Panthers.

Brooke Owen would open the inning with a single off Hooper's arm and move into scoring position at second base on a sacrifice by Bailey O'Dell.

That brought up Hannah Cole, who ripped a shot into right-center for a double to score Owen and wrap up the two one-run wins for the Panthers.

Austin Peay wraps up its three-game OVC series against the Panthers today, with the game time moved up to 11 a.m., from the original 1 p.m. start, due to inclement weather moving into the area later in the afternoon.

--AP--