HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Laurel Burroughs' two-run homer in the top of the seventh inning capped a four-run final-inning rally as Austin Peay's softball team edged Northern Kentucky, 7-6, Wednesday afternoon in Game 1 of a twinbill. The host team won Game 2, 5-0.

Austin Peay (7-20) entered the top of the seventh inning of Game 1 down 5-3, but received a lead-off single from Mel Pavel to get the rally started. One out later, Rikki Arkansas reached on a bunt single to put the tying runs on base, but Courtney Brower grounded out for the second out.

That brought up the Lady Govs' hottest hitter of the last two weeks, Chandler Groves, who ripped a 1-2 pitch down the left field line for a double, scoring Erica Inagaki and Arkansas to tie the game at 5-5.Groves finished the game with three hits.

Burroughs then gave the Lady Govs their first led since the bottom of the second inning when she crushed a 2-2 pitch high over the center field fence for her season's fifth home run while giving Austin Peay a 7-5 advantage. Burroughs, Pavel and Inagaki all recorded two hits in the contest.

Northern Kentucky (5-20) received a leadoff home run from Dani Devlin in the bottom of the seventh to cut the Lady Govs lead to one, but Allie Blackwood came in to relieve APSU starter Sidney Hooper and got the final two outs to pick up her season's first save and seal the 7-6 victory.

Hooper got the win, improving to 2-5 on the season, while tying her career high in strikeouts with five.

Austin Peay got off to quck start with Niya Sparks blasting a two-run shot over the right-center field fence – also scoring Burroughs – to give APSU a 2-0 first-inning lead.

But the Norse scored four runs on five hits in the bottom of the second inning to take the lead 4-2.

Brower scored a Lady Govs run in the top of the fourth inning, coming in on a wild pitch, but Northern Kentucky answered back with a run of its own in the bottom of the inning to put its lead back to two runs, 5-3.

The Lady Govs were not as fortunate in Game 2, with Norse starter Ashlynn Roberts limiting Austin Peay to just three hits and four total base runners in a 3-0 loss.

Groves had two of the three hits – singles in the third and six innings – while Sparks accounted for the other hit with a first-inning single.

The only other Lady Gov second=game base runner came in the first inning with Christiana Gable drawing a walk.

Austin Peay did have one highlight in the nightcap on defense, setting a school single-game record by turning four double plays.

--AP--