Jerome Knight
Austin Peay State University senior infielder Kayleigh Roper and sophomore infielder Kiley Hinton celebrated after Roper recorded an out in Saturday afternoon's game, where the softball team beat Lipscomb University 6-2.
Austin Peay State University’s softball team earned a 6-2 win over Lipscomb in the first game of Saturday’s doubleheader but fell 12-6 in the second game, moving to 27-4 on the season and 5-1 in Atlantic Sun Conference play.
Game 1: Austin Peay 6, Lipscomb 2
Ashley Martin (8-0) delivered another dominant performance, pitching 6.1 innings, allowing two hits and striking out four. After Lipscomb took a 1-0 lead, the Govs responded with five unanswered runs, including a three-run third inning. Katie Raper hit her 10th home run of the season, and Kayleigh Roper went 2-for-4 with two RBIs. Austin Peay secured the win with a perfect seventh inning.
Game 2: Austin Peay 6, Lipscomb 12
The Govs scored first, but Lipscomb responded with nine unanswered runs, including back-to-back home runs in the third. Roper’s solo home run in the sixth sparked a late rally, but it wasn’t enough. Samantha Miener (9-2) took the loss, allowing four earned runs in 2.1 innings of relief.
Katie Raper’s 10 home runs this season are tied for 7th-most in program history. Roper’s home run in Game 2 pushed the Govs’ season total to 41, the third-most in program history. Martin’s Game 1 win improved her perfect record to 8-0. The Govs will return to action on March 28 for a three-game series against Central Arkansas in Arkansas.