Starkville, Miss. – The second day of the Mississippi State Bulldog Kickoff Classic turned out to be a tough one for Austin Peay State University's softball team, Saturday, with the Lady Govs dropping an 8-0 decision to the tournament host Mississippi State before losing a 6-5 decision to Mississippi Valley in the nightcap.

In the opening game of the day versus Mississippi State, a rough first inning put the Lady Govs (1-3) in an early hole, with the Bulldogs sending 11 batters to the plate and scoring five times.

Katie Anne Bailey and Calyn Adams recorded two-run doubles in the inning to highlight the Bulldogs attack in the first inning as MSU (4-0) recorded four hits along with two walks and a hit batter.

Mississippi State added a run in the bottom of the second on an RBI single by Erika Gaul.

The score would remain 6-0 until the bottom of the fifth inning when Mississippi State pushed across two runs on RBI singles by Madison Arroyo and Katie Gentle to end the game under the eight-run mercy rule.

Despite being shutout, the Lady Govs did threaten to put runs on the board in the top of the first and fourth innings.

In the first, Laurel Burroughs picked up a one-out single and moved to third on a walk to Savanna Oliver and an infield single by Alexis Hill, but Bulldogs starter Holly Ward got Niya Sparks to end the inning on a ground out.

Burroughs would also pick up a double in the fifth inning.

In the fourth inning, Hill and Allie Blackwood reached on a pair of Mississippi State errors, with Courtney Brower being hit by a pitch to load the bases, but Marissa Lake grounded out to end the threat.

In the nightcap versus Mississippi Valley, it would be a four-run fifth inning by the Devilettes (1-4) that would prove to the difference.

The Lady Govs were holding a 4-2 lead as they began the fifth, but Mississippi Valley collected five hits  plus a hit batter to score its four runs in the inning and take a 6-4 lead.

Austin Peay answered with a run of its own in the bottom of the inning on an RBI single by Natalie Ayala that scored Niya Sparks to make it 6-5, but that would be as close as the Lady Govs would get.

Mississippi State scored a run in the top of the first to take an early lead, but Austin Peay responded in the bottom of the inning with back-to-back home runs by Burroughs and Christiana Gable to take a 2-1 lead.

Austin Peay added a run in the second inning with Brower scoring on an illegal pitch to give the Lady Govs a 3-1 lead.

The Devilettes scored in the top of the third to cut the APSU lead to 3-2, but the Lady Govs responded with an RBI single by Sparks to push the lead out to 4-2.

Sparks and Burroughs recorded two hits to lead Austin Peay.

The Lady Govs wrap up play in the Bulldog Kickoff Classic on Sunday, facing Middle Tennessee in a 10 a.m. contest.

--AP--