LIVINGSTON, Ala. – The University of West Alabama softball team started its 12-game homestand with a sweep of region foe Miles College on Wednesday at the UWA Softball Complex. UWA routed the Golden Bears 10-1 in the opener and blanked MC 6-0 in the nightcap.
The Tigers bumped their season's mark to 23-11 overall on the season and will entertain Gulf South Conference rivals West Georgia and UAH this weekend.
In the opener, UWA starter Katie Ford turned in a one-hit performance and silenced MC for the first four innings. After plunking the lead off hitter, Ford set down the next ten batters she faced, including eight strikeouts in the outing. The lone hit off the Garden City, Kan.-native came with two outs in the fourth as Jay Lockhart touched her for a single to left. Hannah Billingsley came on in the fifth to finish the contest.
The Tigers gave Ford a three-run cushion after plating three runs in the first. Meagan Sloke and Jessica Powell drove in runs in the frame. Powell finished the contest 3-for-3 as she registered a pair of doubles and a two-run home run to highlight UWA's three-run fourth. The round tripper was Powell's second of the season. The Red and White used the long ball in the third as Angela Hanna belted a three-run shot over the centerfield wall. The home run was the first of two on the day for the senior catcher from Opelika, Ala. Hanna cranked her second dinger of the day in a pinch hit role in the second game. After leading 2-0 in the fifth inning, the Tigers struck for four runs in the inning to pad their margin. Stephanie Beahn started a string of four consecutive hits in the frame. Kelli Hartley and Powell recorded back-to-back doubles before Hanna posted her sixth home run of the season. She now has the team lead in home runs with six on the season.
Sophomore Hannah Griffin earned her second win of the season after turning in five solid innings in the nightcap. She fanned six and scattered four hits in the outing. Anna Shartzer, Beahn and Hartley all finished with multiple hits in the win. Hartley finished the contest with a pair of RBI.
Saturday's GSC East twinbill with West Georgia is slated to start at 2 p.m. Live stats will be available at www.uwaathletics.com.
