COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Austin Peay State University's softball team took both ends of its Ohio Valley Conference doubleheader versus Tennessee Tech, Friday, at Tech Softball Field, as the Govs extended their season-best win streak to five games after grinding out a 4-3 victory in the opener before running away with a 12-0 final in the nightcap.
The Govs will look to make it two straight three-game OVC series sweeps in as many weekends, 1 p.m., Saturday, as they close out the series versus the Golden Eagles with a single game.
Game 1
Austin Peay 4, Tennessee Tech 3
In a game that would go down to the last pitch, Austin Peay broke a 2-2 tie with the go-ahead run in the top of the fourth inning, aided by two Tennessee Tech errors, as Katie Keen reached on a dropped pop-up by the Golden Eagles catcher, then come all the way around the bases on a wild throw by the catcher trying to throw out Keen.
The Govs added what turned out to be a huge insurance run in the fifth, also aided by an error, as Lexi Osowski, who reached on a single, scored when the Tech left fielder dropped a fly ball off the bat of Kelsey Gross, making it 4-2.
Tennessee Tech cut the Govs lead to one, 4-3, in the bottom of the fifth, but that would be as close as the Golden Eagles would get as APSU starter Harley Mullins (5-5) retired four of the last five hitters she faced before giving way to Gross, who picked up her season's second save with a scoreless seventh inning.
Tennessee Tech opened the game with a first inning run to take an early lead, but the Govs answered back in the top of the second, scoring twice to take the lead on a double by Emily Harkleroad.
Harkleroad and Bailey Shorter led the Govs with two hits each.
The Golden Eagles tied the game for the final time in the third, 3-3, before the Govs took the lead for good in the fourth.
Game 2
Austin Peay 12, Tennessee Tech 0
After scoring a single run in the top of the first inning, coming on a sacrifice fly by Harkleroad, the Govs all but put any question of who was going to win this game in the second by sending 11 batters ito the plate n the frame and scoring seven times to pull away for an 8-0 advantage.
Emily Moore opened the inning going with a one-out bunt single, then get into scoring position by stealing second base.
Kelsey Gray then reached on an infield single, followed by a double by Shorter to score both Moore and Gray to make it 3-0.
After a single by Brooke Pfefferle and Osowski reaching on a fielder's choice to load the bases, Gross drove in a run with a single to make it 4-0.
Tennessee Tech retired the next Gov for the inning's second out, but Kendyl Weinzapfel followed with an RBI single for a 5-0 advantage.
The inning's final three runs came on a bases-loaded throwing error by the Tech first baseman on a ball hit by Maddie Boykin, clearing the bases to put the Govs up by eight.
That would be more than enough for Gross (5-1), who picked up her season's second shutout, limiting the Golden Eagles to just three hits, while striking out five.
The Govs added two more runs in the third on a Shorter home run and an RBI fielder's choice by Gross, before closing out the game's scoring with two final runs in the fourth on a double by Pfefferle, who finished the game with three hits.
Inside the Boxscore
- The shutout by Kelsey Gross in Game 2 was her career's fifth career, tying her for ninth place all-time in program history.
- The save by Kelsey Gross in Game 1 was her 10th career save, tying her for 18th among all active NCAA Division I pitchers.
- The 12 runs scored in Game 2 are a season single-game high for the Govs.
- Junior Lexi Osowski extended her current hit streak to 10 straight games, tying for the 11th-longest hit streak by a Govs softball player since 2000.
- Senior Katie Keen got her first career start in left field in Game 1.
- Senior Kelsey Gray made her first two catching starts behind the plate since her freshman year, setting a career single-game high for putouts in Game 2, with five.
- Govs pitchers did not walk a batter in Game 2 versus Tennessee Tech, marking the first time since opening day of this season versus Mercer where they held the opposing team to zero walks.
- Sophomore Alex Grubbs made her first collegiate appearance, coming as a pinch hitter in Game 2.
- The seven-run second inning by the Govs in Game 2 versus Tennessee Tech marks the second time this season they have done that, also scoring seven runs in the fifth inning versus Mercer, Feb. 20.
- The first game of the doubleheader was Kassie Stanfill's 100th as head coach at Austin Peay.
- Austin Peay has won the last seven games played versus Tennessee Tech.
