Tech Softball closes out non-conference action with visit to Austin Peay
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – Once Tennessee Tech and Austin Peay were bitter rivals in the Ohio Valley Conference, but the Governors packed up and jumped to the Atlantic Sun Conference. Wednesday, the two teams will square off once more as the Golden Eagles head to Clarksville to take on APSU in a 4 p.m. battle. First pitch on Wednesday is set for 4 p.m. The game will be streamed live on ESPN+ (subscription required).
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By Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – Once Tennessee Tech and Austin Peay were bitter rivals in the Ohio Valley Conference, but the Governors packed up and jumped to the Atlantic Sun Conference. Wednesday, the two teams will square off once more as the Golden Eagles head to Clarksville to take on APSU in a 4 p.m. battle.
First pitch on Wednesday is set for 4 p.m. The game will be streamed live on ESPN+ (subscription required).
Austin Peay took the last series against the Golden Eagles in the 2022 campaign 2-1 with Tech taking the middle game 11-1 in five innings, sandwiched between 9-4 and 7-5 defeats. Tech, however, dominates the all-time series with a 73-30 lead, dating all the way back to 1986. From 1992 to 2013, the Golden Eagles lost only twice to the Governors.
APSU enters the midweek contest with an 18-26 record overall with a 4-14 mark in the ASUN. The Govs topped Queens 1-0 on Sunday to break a nine-game winning streak, which included three-game sweeps from Jacksonville and fellow former OVCer Eastern Kentucky.
As a team, Austin Peay is batting .268 with 62 extra-base hits – 33 doubles, 13 doubles and 16 home runs – while also collecting 149 RBI and 159 runs scored. The pop in their bat is coming from Brie Howard, who has seven home runs and 28 RBI on the season with a .310 batting average. Macee Roberts (.285) and Mea Clark (.241) both have 21 RBI, while Kylie Campbell (.380) has 20.
In the circle, the staff has a 3.48 earned run average, allowing 178 runs – 142 earned – on 313 hits with 126 walks and 234 strikeouts. Jordan Benefiel, a familiar face as she pitched against the Golden Eagles in the last series meeting, leads the team with a 2.40 ERA across 116 2/3 innings, striking out 138.
Tech (19-20, 9-12 OVC) is batting .286 as a whole with 75 extra-base hits – 60 doubles, two triples and 13 home runs. Carmen Betts leads the team with a .388 average, collecting team-bests in doubles (12), triples (two) and home runs (three), while Sydney Kirby had a big week against ETSU and Eastern Illinois to improve her average to .303 with 29 RBI.
Mac Fitzgerald (.303) remains among the national leaders in stolen bases with a 30-for-30 effort this season, while Abby Shoulders (.276) is 20-for-23 on the basepaths.
In the circle, the Tech staff has a 3.69 ERA, allowing 176 runs – 136 earned – on 308 hits. Emily York (2.13 ERA) and Payton Wagner (2.25 ERA) both have a 7-4 record on the season, while York has walked 23 and struck out 63, Wagner 33 walks and 33 strikeouts.
The Golden Eagles will then close out the home portion of their schedule as they host SIUE on Saturday and Sunday.
Photo | Jim Dillon
