Clarksville, TN – The Austin Peay State University (APSU) softball team scored five times in the sixth inning to break open a tied game with SIU Edwardsville, Sunday at Cathi Maynard Park-Cheryl Holt Field, and pull away for a 9-5 win to complete the sweep of their three-game Ohio Valley Conference series.
Morgan Zuege would then load the bases with an infield single, bring up the top of the order in Megan Hodum.
Hodum would clear the bases with a triple just inside the line and into the right field corner to give the Govs a 7-4 lead.
A wild pitch would allow Hodum to score, making it 8-4, followed by Lexi Osowski being hit by a pitch and later come around to score on a single by Kylie Campbell to extend the APSU Govs lead to 9-4.
The APSU Govs would make that lead hold up, with the Cougars (18-33, 9-19 OVC) picking up one final run in the top of the seventh for the 9-5 final.
SIUE opened the game by taking their first lead of the weekend, 1-0, on a sacrifice fly with Austin Peay matching the run in the bottom of the inning, also on a sacrifice fly by Osowski, scoring Hodum, who had reached on a single to open the inning.
The Cougars would retake the lead, 2-1, in the third, but the Governors answered back with two runs of its own in the bottom of the inning, with Bailey Shorter and Osowski reaching via a hit by pitch and a walk and then come around to score on RBI singles by Brooke Pfefferle and Campbell to make it 3-2.
Austin Peay State University would extend its lead to 4-2 on Shorter’s fifth home run of the season in the fifth, before the Cougars scored twice in the top of the sixth to tie the game for the final time, 4-4.
Jordan Benefiel (14-7) picked up the win in relief, throwing 4.2 innings and giving up two runs on three hits, while striking out two.
Inside the Boxscore
Sunday was Senior Day for the Austin Peay State University Governors, who sent out Ali King, Katie Keen, Harley Mullins, Brooke Pfefferle and Bailey Shorter with a win.
The victory was the APSU Govs 30th of the season, marking the third time in the last four full, non-COVID shorten seasons, where the Govs have won at least 30 games.
Shorter moved past Leigh Pettyjohn (1987-90) for fifth place all-time in runs scored in program history with her 113th career run.
With her two hits, Shorter moved past Amanda Travis (1996-99) for seventh place all-time in career hits, with 185.
Shorter’s first inning double moving into a tie for fifth place all-time for career doubles, with 33.
Lexi Osowski moved past Kacy Acree (2016-19) into third-place all-time in career runs batted in, with her 114th career RBI.
Next Up For APSU Softball
The Austin Peay State University softball team will head to Oxford, Alabama, this coming Wednesday to participate in the Ohio Valley Conference Championship at Choccolocco Park.
For news and updates on everything APSU softball, follow along on Twitter (@GovsSB) or check back at LetsGoPeay.com.
