FORT MYERS, Fla. – Austin Peay State University's softball team won a pair of games on Day 2, Saturday at the FGCU Softball Complex in the Florida Gulf Coach Invitational, winning a wild 9-6 opener versus Memphis, before shutting down Florida Gulf Coast in the nightcap, 3-1.
Austin Peay 9, Memphis 6
The Governors (6-4) offense exploded for a season-high 16 hits versus the Tigers (3-6), in a rematch of their FGCU Invitational opener from Friday, coming away with a 9-6 victory.
It wouldn't take long for the Govs to get on the scoreboard, as walks to Megan Hodum and Brooke Pfefferle sandwiched around a single by Lexi Osowski to load the bases, with one out, bring up Mea Clark.
Clark would smack a single into right field scoring Hodum and Osowski to give the Govs a 2-0 lead.
Memphis would respond with a two-run homer in the bottom of the inning to tie the game, 2-2.
Austin Peay would retake the lead in the top of the second inning, as Pfefferle singled in Morgan Zuege, with a two-out single.
The Govs would extend their lead in the fourth inning, scoring twice to go up, 5-2.
Hodum would get thing going with a one-out single and scoring on a double to left-center field by Osowski.
She would then score on a single by Pfefferle.
Osowski, Hodum and Pfefferle would all finish the game with three hits each.
Austin Peay would add two more runs in the fifth, with Kendyl Weinzapfel and Zuege opening the inning with bac-to-back singles, followed by a run scoring double by Bailey Shorter, bring in Weinzapfel, and an out later Zuege coming in on a fielder's choice by Pfefferle, making it 7-2 Govs.
The Tigers would push across a run in the bottom of the fifth, but the Govs scored two more runs in the top of the seventh to push its lead out to its largest of the day, six runs, at 9-3.
Memphis would take advantage to a couple of Govs errors in the bottom of the seventh to score three runs, but Austin Peay held off the Tigers for the 9-6 final.
Jordan Benefiel (3-1) would get the complete-game win, giving up nine hits and six runs – only two earned – while walking two and striking out four.
Austin Peay 3, Florida Gulf Coast 1
The Govs took advantage of a throwing error by Florida Gulf Coast (5-4) allowing Clark to score the first run of the game in the top of the second inning, with the Eagles tying the game, 1-1, in the bottom of the inning on a home run.
Austin Peay would retake the lead in the third, scoring twice, with what turned out to be the game-winning runs.
Shorter would open the inning with a double, followed by an infield single by Hodum, moving Shorter to third.
Hodum would then steal second, but the catcher's throw got away from the shortstop allowing Shorter to come in with the go-ahead run.
Osowski, who finished the game with three hits, followed with an RBI single, scoring Hodum and making it a two-run advantage, 3-1
Austin Peay starter Samantha Miener (3-2) would take it from there, as the freshman retired 17 of the final 19 batters she faced – including 10 in a row at one point -- in picked up the complete-game victory, giving up just five hits and one walk while striking out three.
Inside the boxscore
- Bailey Shorter's double in the fifth inning versus Memphis was her 150th career hit, the 14th Governors softball player in program history to reach that milestone.
- The Memphis win was head coach Kassie Stanfill's 76th career victory breaking a tie with Jim Perrin (2005-08) to move into fourth place alone on the school's all-time win list.
- Brooke Pfefferle's walk versus Memphis was the 50th of her career.
- The 16 hits versus Memphis were the most hits by APSU in a game since they recorded 15 hits versus Belmont on March 27, 2021.
- Mea Clark's four RBIs versus Memphis was a career single game high.
- Megan Hodum's three hits versus Memphis were a career single game high.
- Emily Harkleroad recorded a career single-game high 13 putouts at first base versus Florida Gulf Coast.
- Lexi Osowski's consecutive-game hit streak is now at nine.
- Morgan Zuege had a career single-game high five assists versus Florida Gulf Coast.
Up Next
Austin Peay concludes play in the Florida Gulf Coast University Invitational, in Fort Myers, Florida, Sunday, facing tournament host Florida Gulf Coast, at 10:15 a.m. For news and updates on everything Governors softball, follow along on Twitter (@GovsSB) or check back at LetsGoPeay.com.
