Homers propel APSU Softball to 10-6 win over Western Kentucky

APSU Sports Information

Bowling Green, KY – Austin Peay State University’s softball team hit two two-run homers in the top of the sixth inning, Sunday afternoon at the WKU Softball Complex, to help rally the Govs past Western Kentucky, 10-6, in the final day of the Hilltopper Spring Fling Tournament after falling to IUPUI, 6-1 earlier in the day.

The Govs (5-4) has just seen the Hilltoppers (9-6) take their first lead of the game in the bottom of the fifth inning, 6-5, but had lead-off hitter Rikki Arkansas start the sixth inning with a single to left, followed by Kacy Acree blasting the first pitch her saw over the right field fence – her second home run of the weekend – to retake the lead for the Govs, 7-6.

But Austin Peay wasn’t through in the frame, with Danielle Liermann drawing a base on balls and bring up clean-up hitter Allie Blackwood.

Blackwood, a senior who missed most of last season with a shoulder injury, cranked a 0-1 pitch out over the right field fence for the second two-run homer of the inning for the Govs to extend its lead to 9-6.

The home run was also Blackwood’s first of her college career.

Arkansas, Acree and Blackwood all recorded two hits each, as the Govs authored a season-high 13 hits in the contest.

That would be all that APSU starter Kelsey Gross (3-2) would need, as the freshman right-hander retired the final six hitters she faced to pick up the 152-pitch complete-game win – while scattering eight hits, walking three and striking out a career-high eight batters.

Austin Peay would tack on a final run in the seventh, on an RBI single by Liermann – who finished the game 4-for-4 – for the 10-6 final margin.

The Govs and Hilltopper each scored a run in the first inning, followed by APSU scoring three runs in the second inning, with Acree and Liermann picking up RBIs in the inning.

Western Kentucky would cut the APSU lead to, 4-2 in the third, with the Govs making it a three-run game again in the top of the fourth on an RBI single by Liermann.

WKU responded with three runs of its own in the bottom of the inning to tie the game 5-5, with the Hilltoppers taking their only lead of the game, 6-5, in the fifth inning on a sacrifice fly.

In the opener versus IUPUI (4-11), the Govs got off to a quick start with Liermann doubling in Arkansas for a 1-0 lead.

But that would be the only run APSU would out up against the Jaguars, with IUPUI taking the lead for good in the second inning by scoring four runs and adding single runs in the third and fourth innings for the 6-1 final.

Carly Mattson would record two hits in the loss, while Emily Moore and Cassidy Hale had the only other APSU hits in the loss.