BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – IUPUI missed opportunities and were plagued by giving up home runs as the Jags fell to Austin Peay and Western Kentucky on Saturday (Feb. 29). Jaida Speth collected three hits on the day to lead IUPUI and Mandy Dallas hit her first home run of the season.
AUSTIN PEAY 10, IUPUI 3
IUPUI was unable to claw out of an early hole in a seven-run loss to Austin Peay to start the day and make the Jags the No. 4 seed in the tournament to finish out the weekend.
The Governors got off to a quick start with a run in the first and five runs in the second. Austin Peay hit a leadoff home run in the second and chased starter Kayana Diederich (2-3) after an RBI double three batters later. Lexi Lucas was immediately met with a two-RBI double and Austin Peay added one more to increase the lead to six.
Missed opportunities doomed the Jags in the later innings. In the fourth inning, Hailey Pop walked and moved to third on a double by Delaney Thompson. After a line out by Mandy Dallas, Amber Pagan walked on four-straight pitches to load the bases. The bags would remain full as Rachael Gregory struck out and Jordan Barnes grounded to short to end the inning.
The Jags again got two runners on in the fifth, this time with two outs after a Pop walk, but Thompson popped up to short to end the threat.
Still down 6-0 and getting out of a bases loaded jam in the top of the inning, Dallas started the bottom of the frame with a single and moved to second on a wild pitch. A single by Maicey Bedrick and Barnes was hit by a pitch to load the bases again. IUPUI was able to push their first run of the game across the board with a sacrifice fly by Delainey Turner to drive home Dallas but that is all the Jags would get in the inning.
The flood gates opened in the top of the seventh with Austin Peay plating four runs to make the deficit 10-1.
In the bottom of the inning, Pop walked again, her third of the game, and Dallas made the most of it with a two run home run to left center field but IUPUI was not able to get any more runs across, falling to Austin Peay.
WESTERN KENTUCKY 12, IUPUI 4 // F/5
In the second game of the day and the first in the four-team tournament for the weekend, IUPUI was done in by the long ball against Western Kentucky in a 12-4 loss in five innings. Jordan Barnes drove in two runs for the Jags and Jaida Speth led IUPUI at the plate going 2-for-2.
IUPUI allowed four home runs to the Hilltoppers with two coming in the first inning as WKU jumped out to a 5-0 lead. IUPUI picked a run back in the second after Hailey Pop doubled to start the inning and Jordan Barnes brought her home two batters later.
The Jags best chance to get back in the game came in the third. Singles by Speth and McKenzie Loge, followed by a walk by Delainey Thompson loaded the bases with no outs. In the next at bat, Dallas hit a ground ball to third and on the throw home the ball came out of the catcher's glove but it was ruled she was in the process of transferring the ball to make a throw and Speth was called out at home.
Pop hit a ground ball back to the pitcher in the next at bat and Loge was also thrown out at the plate as it looked like IUPUI might let a great opportunity slip away. Rachael Gregory then stepped to the plate and hit a hard ground ball off the glove of the third baseman, bringing home IUPUI's first run. On a 0-2 pitch in the next at bat, Barnes was hit by a pitch to bring home the Jags second run and make the score 5-3.
Two more home runs in the third for WKU made it 8-3 but the Jags did get one run back in the top of the fourth as Thompson doubled to score Speth, who had singled earlier in the inning.
The game came to a close in the bottom of the fifth as WKU scored four runs to put the run-rule in play.
UP NEXT
IUPUI will take on Austin Peay in the consolation game on Sunday (March 1) with first pitch beginning at 12 p.m.
