APSU Softball’s Danielle Liermann hits grand slam to power Lady Govs past Southeast Missouri

APSU Sports Information

Cape Girardeau, MO – A grand slam from Danielle Liermann, Friday at the Southeast Softball Complex, proved to be all the runs Austin Peay State University’s softball team would need in its Ohio Valley Conference victory versus Southeast Missouri, with the Lady Govs coming away with a 7-3 victory, before dropping the second game, 15-6.

Austin Peay (8-34, 4-18 OVC) would enter the top of the third inning trailing 1-0, but Courtney Brower would lead-off the inning by getting hit by a pitch – her school record 37th time – and move all the way to third base when SEMO center fielder misplayed a Chandler Groves single, which also allowed Groves to go to second base.

Groves would lead APSU with three hits.

Kacy Acree would follow with a base on balls, to load the bases, and bring up Liermann – the team’s leading RBI producer.

She wouldn’t disappoint, as she blasted the first pitch she saw deep over the left field fence for a grand-slam home run – her first grand slam and the first grand slam for Austin Peay since Laurel Burroughs back on April 19th, 2015 at Jacksonville State.

The four RBIs bring Liermann’s total to 34 this season, the most by a freshman in school history, and tying for the sixth-most by any player in a single season in Austin Peay history.

Natalie Ayala (2-10) would take it from there, as she scattered eight hits and three runs in the complete-game victory – walking two and striking out two.

The complete game marked the eighth straight game Ayala has gone at least six innings in a start.

But Austin Peay wasn’t done with the long-ball, with Groves smoking a ball over the left field fence in the top of the fourth – also scoring Erica Inagaki, who had singled – for a two-run shot to make it 6-2.

The Govs would add an insurance run in the top of the sixth, on an RBI single from Acree, with Southeast Missouri (13-31, 7-16 OVC) scoring its final run in the bottom of the inning on a home run by Darby Pruett.

The two teams would have to wait out a rain/lightning delay of just under two hours before they could start Game 2, and with that long delay the Govs lost all of their momentum, with SEMO (14-31, 8-15 OVC) scoring in every inning – including an eight-run fourth inning to break the game open.

But despite the Game 2 loss, there were some positives for Austin Peay.

Niya Sparks would tie a school single-game record with two home runs in the loss — driving in four runs overall – while Sidney Hooper added a solo shot and Carly Mattson went 2-for-2 at the plate, with an RBI.

Weather permitting, the two teams are scheduled to wrap-up their three-game series, 10:00am, Sunday with a single game.

Check back at Austin Peay’s official athletic website www.LetsGoPeay.com or on Twitter @AustinPeaySB for any further schedule changes.