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HomeSportsAPSU Softball defeats Tennessee State, finishes 2nd in OVC

APSU Softball defeats Tennessee State, finishes 2nd in OVC

APSU Sports Information

APSU SoftballNashville, TN – Austin Peay State University (APSU)’s softball team held off a scrappy Tennessee State squad, Sunday, May 6th at Tiger Field, as Govs closed their regular-season schedule with an 8-5 Ohio Valley Conference victory to end the season with a school record 11-game win streak.

The Govs (36-15, 17-4 OVC) and Tigers (4-48, 1-20 OVC) has the second game of the doubleheader called in the top of the third inning, with APSU leading 4-1, due to thunder storms.

Austin Peay Softball outfielder Kacy Acree hit her seventh home run of the year in Govs 4-1 win over Tennessee State, Sunday. (APSU Sports Information)
Austin Peay Softball outfielder Kacy Acree hit her seventh home run of the year in Govs 4-1 win over Tennessee State, Sunday. (APSU Sports Information)

The game will not be made up and along with Eastern Kentucky’s Game 2 win at Southern Illinois Edwardsville Sunday, the Govs will finish an all-time best second-place in the OVC standings and will face Tennessee Martin, 12:30pm, Wednesday in the opening round of the OVC Championship Tournament.

The Govs got off to a quick 1-0 advantage with Kacy Acree leading off the game with her seventh home run of the year.

2018 APSU Softball - Carly MattsonTennessee State would tie the game, 1-1, with an RBI double by Reese Weber in the bottom of the first, but the Govs would take the lead for good with two runs in the top of the second – coming on RBI singles by Emily Moore and Emily Harkleroad.

Moore would finish the game 3-for-3 at the plate, a walk and two RBI, while Harkleroad finished 3-for-4 and three RBIs.

Austin Peay would make it 5-1, in the top of the fourth, with two more runs coming in off an RBI double by Carly Mattson and an RBI single by Moore, when extent its lead to 7-1, in the fifth inning, with Harkleroad and Drew Dudley driving in runs with a single and a groundout.

2018 APSU Softball - Kelsey GrossTennessee State wouldn’t go down without a fight — scoring two runs each in the fifth and sixth innings – with Reese collecting an RBI in the fifth and Whitney Ennis and Maddison Clark driving in runs in the sixth — to cut the APSU lead to just two, 7-5.

But that would be as close as the Tigers would get, with Austin Peay tacking on an insurance run in the top of the seventh, on an RBI double by Harkleroad.

Kelsey Gross came in to record the final five outs, including setting TSU down in order in the seventh for her fifth save of the season, with Kelly Mardones earning the win to improve to 13-4 on the season.

Follow the Govs softball team on Austin Peay’s official athletics website Let’sGoPeay.com or on Twitter @AustinPeaySB for more information or updates.

Inside the Box Score

2018 APSU Softball - Kacy AcreeAustin Peay went through the regular season without being shutout for the first time in school history.

The home run to lead-off the game by junior outfielder Kacy Acree was the first by a Govs hitter since Chandler Groves back on March 29, 2015 at Tennessee Martin.

The 13 hits recorded by the Govs versus TSU tied their season high.

Austin Peay hitters did not suffer a strikeout in the game for the second time this season.

Kacy Acree ends regular-season with a 14-game hitting streak along with a streak of 27 straight games reaching base.

Kacy Acree‘s home run was the 20th of her career, the ninth player in APSU history to reach the 20-home run milestone.

Sophomore pitcher Kelsey Gross‘ five saves this season ties the school’s single-season record.

 

Coaching Quotables with Head Coach Rodney DeLong

On playing a team with nothing to lose
“Situations like today can be tough. We didn’t play our best today, but we grinded it out and found a way to win.”  

On wrapping up a great regular season
“I’m so proud of this team and the season they had. This team came in hungry and felt what we have done this year was attainable. To come down to the final game of the season and have a chance at winning the OVC that’s all you can ask for, but they are already talking about want’s next this coming week.”

On getting ready for the postseason
“We going to get in a couple of good practices to get ready, but the big thing is for us to be mentally 100% invested in each game, take it one game at a time, one inning at a time and be in the present. The team is excited about the challenge that is in front of them and the type of atmosphere that goes along with an event like this. This group seems to step up and respond to these types of occasions.”

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