MURRAY, Ky. – Austin Peay State University's softball team took a no-hitter into the sixth inning Friday morning at Racer Field versus Northern Illinois, with the Govs defeating the Huskies 6-3 before falling in extra innings to Saint Louis, 6-5, in Day 2 of the Racer Classic.
The Govs (8-10) used three pitchers to stifle the Northern Illinois bats, with Kelsey Gross, Christiana Gable and Autumn Hanners limiting the Huskies to a two-out single in the bottom of the sixth inning.
Austin Peay had taken a 2-0 lead in the top of the second inning, on a two-run, two-out single by Rikki Arkansas, but saw the Huskies score three runs in their half of the inning, with Gross struggling with control – walking three, hitting a batter and throwing a wild pitch.
Christiana Gable (1-2) would replace Gross and throw four perfect innings of relief, which allowed the Govs to tie the game in the top of the fourth inning – on a base-loaded walk to Erica Inagaki – and take the lead, 4-3, an inning later, on an RBI single by Kendall Vedder.
Vedder and Carly Mattson would lead the Govs with two hits each, with Mattson scoring three runs.
Autumn Hanners would come in and close things out by throwing the final two innings of shutout ball to pick up her first save of the season.
The Govs would add two insurance runs in the top of the seventh by taking advantage to two Northern Illinois errors.
In Game 2 Friday, the matchup versus Saint Louis (11-5), would be a back-and-fourth affair, with the Govs scoring the first three runs – with the first two coming on back-to-back doubles by Danielle Liermann and Cassidy Hale in the first inning and the third on a sacrifice fly by Arkansas in the second inning.
Hale, Mattson and Vedder would all record two hits each in the loss.
The Billikens would tie the game, 3-3 in the fourth inning – aided by two APSU errors – before taking its first lead of the game in the fifth inning, 4-3.
Austin Peay would answer right back, retaking the lead 5-4 on a two-run homer by Liermann – her team-leading fifth of the year.
The home run would move Liermann into a tie for 10th-place all-time in school history with Shelby Norton – both with 12 career homers.
But another APSU error in the sixth inning would allow Saint Louis to tie the game, 5-5, where it would stay until the top of the eighth inning.
In the eighth, which was started under international tie-breaking rules (starting the inning with a runner on second base), would see the Billikens push a run across, while the Govs couldn't advance their runner any closer that third base and allow Saint Louis to escape with a 6-5 win.
Hanners (2-5) would take the loss in relief, while Gross – who started the game – struck out a career-high 10, in five innings of work, the first APSU pitcher to strikeout at least 10 batters in a game since 2014.
Austin Peay was to continue play on Saturday, versus Northern Illinois, but with Saint Louis pulling out of the classic on Friday night, Saturday's game is postponed and now the Govs and Huskies will instead play on Sunday, at a time to be announced.
Check back on Austin Peay's official athletic website LetsGoPeay.com or on Twitter @AustinPeaySB for announcements of the new game time with Northern Illinois.
--AP--
