LIVINGSTON, Ala. – The University of West Alabama softball team dropped a Gulf South Conference twinbill to nationally-ranked UAH on Sunday at the UWA Softball Complex. The Chargers topped the Tigers 14-2 and 9-2.
The two setbacks drop UWA to 25-13 on the season and 4-6 in the GSC East. UAH bumped its overall mark to 24-5 and leads the GSC East with a 9-1 mark. The Tigers will continue their current homestand on Wednesday, March 31, hosting Millsaps College at 4 p.m. before closing returning to conference play on Friday, April 2 against West Florida.
UAH, who entered the weekend as one of the top hitting teams in the league, showed its offensive prowess in the sweep. The Blue and White combined for 28 hits and cranked seven home runs combined, including a pair of grand slams. UAH limited the Tigers to just four unearned runs on the day along with 13 strikeouts by UAH pitching. Whitney Hawkins and Whitney Gilbert turned in complete game performances for the Chargers.
In the opener, UAH broke open a 2-2 standstill with seven-run sixth inning and added a five spot in the seventh. The Chargers first run came off a home run off the bat of Beth Lawson in the first frame off of UWA starter Hannah Billingsley. UWA pushed a run across in the fourth as Lindsey Skinner drove in Stephanie Beahn with a base hit to left. Skinner led the Tigers at the plate in game one with a 2-for-3 performace at the dish. UAH responded a run in the fifth only to see the Tigers scratch a run on the board in the fifth. A misplayed ball by the Charger third baseman kept the inning alive as Angela Hanna, who reached base via another UAH error scored on the play. Angela Smith hit a two-out double to put runners in scoring position. UAH sent 11 batters to the plate in the sixth and strung together six hits, including Erin Dukes' first of two dingers in the game. She lifted one down the left field line in the seventh.
Billingsley was saddled with the loss after being touched for six runs on ten hits in 5.1 innings pitched.
UAH picked up right where it left off in the first game as Sam Deep led off the night cap with a solo shot to center field. After a base hit from Lawson, Duke belted her third home run of the day to give UAH's Gilbert a 3-0 cushion. The Chargers added a run in the second with a home run from Kelli Long. Gilbert silenced the Tigers through the fist five innings, only giving up two hits to Skinner and Kelli Hartley. UWA's pair of runs came in the sixth as Anna Shartzer drove in Jessica Powell. Skinner slapped her second hit of the game and fourth on the day down the right field line to push Hartley across the plate.
Katie Ford shouldered the loss after giving up nine runs on nine hits in her six innings in the circle.
