CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – Austin Peay State University's softball team wrapped up its first weekend of fall action, Sunday at Cheryl Holt Field, with a sweep of Roane State Community College, by 6-4 and 10-4 finals.
With the victories, the Governors finish the weekend going 3-0-1 overall.
But the day didn't go by without a little bit of struggle, as the Govs had to rally in Game 1 versus the Raiders.
Austin Peay was trailing 4-2 heading into the bottom of the fifth inning, but cut the deficit to one run on a sacrifice fly by Danielle Liermann – which brought in Kelsey Gross.
But that run was just the start of the APSU rally, as the Govs retook the lead for the first time since the top of the second inning by scoring three runs to go up 6-4.
Carly Mattson would open the bottom of the sixth with a single, move into scoring position by stealing second base, then to third on a single by Emily Moore.
That would bring up Kendall Vedder, who executed a great safety squeeze that scored Mattson ahead of the throw home to tie the game 4-4.
But the play wasn't done, with Moore moving all the way around to third, then scoring when the throw got away for the Roane State fielder allowing Moore to come in with the go-ahead run – with Vedder being heads and advancing to third.
Gross would close out the inning by picking up an insurance run with a sacrifice fly to deep center field to score Vedder to make it a two-run APSU advantage heading into the Raiders final at bat.
Gross, who picked up the win in relief, closed out the game by striking out two of the final three Roane State hitters to seal away the 6-4 victory.
Overall, Gross gave up one run and four hits over four innings of work, while walking one and striking out seven.
No rally was needed in Game 2, with Austin Peay leading wire-to-wire by scoring 10 runs on 12 hits.
The Govs didn't take long to get started, scoring twice in the bottom of the first – one run coming in on a single by Liermann and the other on a triple by Mattson.
Austin Peay would push its lead to three with an RBI single by Autumn Hanners and the second inning in and to 5-0 in the fourth inning on a based-loaded walk to Hanners and Vedder scoring on a wild pitch.
Roane State would try to rally with four runs of its own in the top of the fifth to cut the Govs advantage to one run, but Austin Peay responded with four runs of its own in the bottom of the inning to for all intents and purposes put the game away.
Kacy Acree opened the bottom of the fifth with a single and scored an out later off a double from Christiana Gable.
A hit-by-pitch and a walk to Chandler Groves and Victoria Eccleston loaded the bases, with Kelsey Gross forcing in the Govs seventh run of the game with a walk, with Gross closing out the innings scoring with a two-run single.
The Govs final run came in the sixth on a single by Drew Dudley, scoring Acree who had opened the inning with a double.
Acree led the Govs with three hits, while Eccleston reached base three times on walks and scored three runs.
Hanners got the win, pitching the first four innings – giving up just two hits and a walk while striking out four.
Gross would pick up the save, getting the final eight outs, striking out one and walking one.
--AP--
