APSU Sports Information
Edwardsville, IL – Austin Peay State University (APSU)’s softball team had its chances, Monday afternoon at Cougar Field, but left 18 runners on base in a pair of Ohio Valley Conference losses to Southern Illinois Edwardsville, 6-0 and 8-5.
SIU Edwardsville (8-12, 2-1 OVC) took the lead for good with an unearned run in the bottom of the third inning, but did most of its damage in the fourth inning, scoring four runs on only two hits – but were also aided by two hit batters and a walk in the frame.
Overall, Austin Peay outhit the Cougars in the opener, 6-4, led by Danielle Liermann‘s three hits – including a double.
The nightcap would see Austin Peay get on the scoreboard for the first time in the top of the first inning, with Niya Sparks driving in Kacy Acree with a sacrifice fly to deep right field for a 1-0 lead.
Overall, Acree would reach base on five of her eight plate appearances in the doubleheader.
But SIUE would answer back with two runs in the bottom of the inning and add four more in the second to pull out to a 6-1 lead after two innings.
The score would remain that way until the top of the fifth inning when Austin Peay would put together its best inning of the day, scoring three times, to cut the Cougars lead to just two runs, 6-4.
Sparks would then follow with her first home run of the season to make it 6-4 and give her three RBIs in the contest.
A two-out error in the bottom of the sixth inning allowed SIUE to add two insurance runs to make it 8-4.
The Govs tried to rally one final time in the top of the seventh inning, scoring a run on an RBI double by Kendall Vedder, to make it 8-5, but that would be as close as they would get.
Vedder and Liermann would lead the Govs with two hits each, with Austin Peay and SIU Edwardsville both recording eight hit each in the game.
Austin Peay is off until next Friday and Saturday, when they travel to play Morehead State and Eastern Kentucky.
