By Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Austin Peay swept both ends of Friday's softball doubleheader, topping Tennessee Tech 4-3 in game one, then taking advantage of several errors and 12 hits to run-rule the Golden Eagles 12-0 in five innings.
The third game of the series is scheduled for 1 p.m. on Saturday.
Game one went down to the final inning as the Golden Eagles got a runner in scoring position as Jessie Lowery advanced to second on a Haeli Bryson grounder to second, but a foul out and a grounder back to the circle ended the contest.
Tech (13-16, 7-8 OVC) outhit Austin Peay 9-6 as Lowery, Nicolle Nysted, Beth McCulley and Shelby Penning each collected two hits.
The Golden Eagles struck first, scoring as Nysted drove in Mackenzie Fitzgerald with a single to center field. Austin Peay took a 2-1 lead in the second as Emily Harkelroad hit a two-run double, bringing in Kendyl Weinzapfel and Kelsey Gross. Tech tied the game in the bottom of the third as Nysted's double to center field drove in Bryson, but Nysted was injured on the play and did not return for the rest of the day.
Austin Peay (15-8, 10-6 OVC)retook the lead in the fourth as Katie Keen made a circuit around the bases as she reached on a dropped fly ball in front of home plate, then a throwing error as the ball was sailed into center field allowed her to score. The Govs added one more run in the fifth as Lexi Osowski scored on a fielding error in left field.
Tech scored its last run in the fifth as McCulley drove in Lowery on an infield single to second base.
Harley Mullins (W, 5-5) claimed the victory, allowing three runs on eight hits, walking one and striking out two. Kelsey Cross picked up her second save of the season, yielding a hit in the final frame of work.
Alyssa Arden (L, 7-8) allowed two earned runs – four total – on six hits, while walking two and striking out four.
In game two, Cross held the Golden Eagles to three hits, striking out five in the process. Bryson was rocked in the first three frames, allowing 10 runs – six earned – on 10 hits, walking one and striking out two. Kendall Durard pitched the final two innings, allowing two runs on two hits.
McCulley, Penning and Carmen Betts had Tech's three hits in the game.
Brooke Pfefferle went 3-for-3 with three RBI, while Bailey Shorter and Gross had a multi-hit game.
After APSU scored a run in the first inning on a sacrifice fly, the floodgates opened in the second inning as the Governors scored seven runs on six hits and two errors. The Govs added two runs in each of the third and fourth innings.
