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HomeSportsAPSU Softball loses 3-0 to Towson at National Invitational Softball Championship

APSU Softball loses 3-0 to Towson at National Invitational Softball Championship

APSU Sports Information

APSU SoftballRichmond, KY – Austin Peay State University’s softball team had one inning go against them versus Towson, Thursday at Gertrude Hood Field in the opening round of the National Invitational Softball Championship, with the Govs falling to the Tigers, 3-0.

The Govs (39-18) and Tigers matched zeros for the first two innings, including APSU starter Morgan Rackel (22-7) getting out of a bases-loaded jam in the top of the first inning.

Austin Peay Softball has call go against them in 3-0 loss to Towson Thursday at the National Invitational Softball Championship. (APSU Sports Information)
Austin Peay Softball has call go against them in 3-0 loss to Towson Thursday at the National Invitational Softball Championship. (APSU Sports Information)

But Towson (41-17) strung together five straight two-out hits in the top of the third inning to plate all three of its runs.

The Govs did have a couple of chances to cut into the Tigers lead, including a controversial call that went again Austin Peay in the bottom of the fifth inning.

Austin Peay opened the inning by getting its first two hitter on, with Emily Moore drawing a walk followed by Emily Harkleroad reaching on an error by the Tigers short stop.

Brooke Pfefferle would then sacrifice the pair to second and third and bring up the top of the Govs order, but after the Tigers recorded the second out of the inning on a strikeout the debated call happened that cost Austin Peay two runs and maybe even more.

Natalie Schilling looked to have beaten out an infield single, with the throw to first base getting away from the fielder covering the bag and both Moore and Harkleroad crossing the plate to make it what looked like a 3-2 score with the Govs top RBI producer of the season Danielle Liermann coming to the plate.

But the home plate umpire ruled that the ball hit off Schilling’s foot in the batter’s box making it a foul ball and negating the two runs scored by the Govs.

Austin Peay finished the game with two hits, singles by Liermann and Rackel, with Moore and Lauren Meitzler reaching on walks and Bailey Shorter, Harkleroad and Kacy Acree reaching on Towson errors.

The Govs continue play in the NISC, 10:00am, Friday, against Toledo — who lost to Eastern Kentucky 6-3 on Thursday — and with a win over the Rockets put APSU into Friday’s third-place game, at 4 p.m., with a berth into Saturday’s championship game on the line.

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

Junior Kelly Mardones made her first pitching appearance in relief since April 2, at Middle Tennessee, throwing three shutout innings and striking out four.

Junior Morgan Rackel suffered her first loss since April 13, in a 2-1 decision to Jacksonville State, ending a personal 10-game win streak.

With her fourth-inning single, Morgan Rackel extended her consecutive-game reaching base streak to seven.

Junior Danielle Liermann’s single to lead off the sixth inning was her career single-season high 58th hit.

Morgan Rackel’s three strikeouts versus Towson gives the left-hander 204 on the season, the sixth-most in a single season by a Govs pitcher.

Austin Peay hasn’t committed an error in its last three games.

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