MOREHEAD, Ky. – Morehead State softball defeated Austin Peay Sunday with the most unlikely of heroes.
Freshman walk-on Corie Roberts, who entered the game with one career at-bat (a strikeout), launched a leadoff pinch-hit, solo home run on a 3-2 count in the bottom of the sixth inning as the Eagles completed a rally to beat the Lady Govs 3-2. Roberts hit a curve ball off Lauren De Castro to help the Eagles complete the three-game sweep of APSU and improve to 9-11 and 3-0 in the OVC.
Austin Peay, which dropped its 12th consecutive game to MSU, dipped to 3-16 and 0-3 in the league.
The Lady Govs jumped out to a 2-0 lead after three innings. In the second, Shelby Norton hit a solo homer off Eagle starter Ashley Imperial. In the third, APSU scored on a bizarre double-steal. De Castro walked with Catie Cozart on third. When she went to first, De Castro paused for just a moment and then sprinted for second. MSU threw down to the base, but Cozart simultaneously made a move toward home plate and beat the relay toss back to the dish to score the Lady Govs’ second run.
The Eagles cut the lead in half in the bottom of the third. Leadoff batter Sam Woodall was plunked by a De Castro pitch and later scored on Rebecca Butler’s RBI single to left field.
MSU tied the game in the fifth when Stephanie Etter coaxed De Castro into allowing a bases-loaded walk to push Amber Riddle home with the tying run.
Imperial allowed a single in the top of the sixth but got out of the inning unscathed, setting up Robert’s heroics moments later. Imperial then retired the Lady Govs in order in the seventh to pick up the victory and improve to 5-5. She struck out a career-high six hitters.
De Castro fell to 0-3, allowing eight hits and all three runs. MSU totaled nine hits with Butler and Elizabeth Wagner each tallying two. Jessica Ryan was a perfect 3-for-3 at the plate to lead a seven-hit APSU offensive day.
Morehead State travels to Ohio University on Wednesday, March 16 for a doubleheader scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. EDT.
