LIVINGSTON, Ala. – The University of West Alabama Softball team will head into the final weekend of Gulf South Conference play tied for the last spot in the postseason tournament after UWA gained a split with North Alabama on Sunday at the UWA Softball Complex. The Lions edged UWA 5-4 in a 10 inning marathon before the Tigers rallied for a 3-1 win in game two.
With the split UWA moved to 37-10 overall and 10-13 in GSC play. UWA and UNA will battle UAH and West Georgia next weekend for the right to go to Southaven, Miss. for the eight-team field. UNA (25-26, 10-13) will take on UWG on Saturday, April 24, while UWA travels to Huntsville that same day to face UAH. The Red and White will close out the regular season with a two-game set in Carrollton, Ga. on Sunday, April 25.
With the second game knotted at 1-1 in the fifth inning, UWA left fielder Lindsey Skinner robbed UNA's Natalie Harrison of a potential two-run home run and stake UNA to a two-run lead. Skinner carried the defensive highlight momentum to the plate as the Vestavia Hills, Ala-native sparked UWA's two-run fifth with a lead off single up the middle. After an Anna Shartzer sacrifice bunt, Stephanie Beahn singled to left to plate Skinner from second to give the Tigers the lead. Beahn later scored on a base hit off the bat of Jessica Powell. Beahn also thwarted a UNA rally in the sixth with a diving catch and toss to first for a double play to get Jessica Cervantes out of a jam.
Hannah Billingsley was credited with her sixth win of the season after tossing the first five innings. After UNA touched her for its only run of the game in the first, the Macon, Ga,-native settled in to keep UNA off the scoreboard. Billingsley stuck out three and allowed five hits. Cervantes earned her ninth save of the season and 22nd in her career in just two seasons at UWA. The Visalia, Ca.-senior now ranks as one of the all-time career leaders in saves on the NCAA Division II level.
In the opener, the Tigers stuck for two runs in their first at bat off of UNA starter Jennifer Sexton. UWA manufactured three hits off of Sexton in the frame as Kelli Hartley roped a double to left, plating Shartzer. Meagan Sloke also had a run-producing single as she drove in Beahn, who had the first hit of the inning.
UNA evened the contest on a two-run home run from Emily Barnes in the third inning off of UWA hurler Katie Ford. After the Sexton gave up the two early runs, she kept the Tigers at bay until they pushed a run across in ninth off of her. Sexton entered the weekend leading the GSC in strikeouts and she added nine more on the season in her 10 inning, complete game performance. Ford equaled her as the Garden City, Kan.-native fanned 10 in five innings.
UNA took its first lead of the game in the ninth as it plated a run off of a wild pitch from UWA reliever Hannah Griffin. Andrea Palmer led off the inning with a single and later pushed to third on a sacrifice bunt and a fly ball out to right field. UWA kept the game alive in its at bat as Angela Smith laced a lead off double down the right field line. Smith scored on a Shartzer squeeze bunt. UWA had the winning run on third with two outs, but Sexton got Hartley to ground out.
The Lions re-gained the lead in the 10th with a pair of runs and held off a Tiger rally for the win.
UWA returns to the diamond on Tuesday, April 20, closing out the non-conference slate in Jackson, Miss. against Millsaps College. First pitch is set for 2 p.m.
