DECATUR, Ala. – The University of West Alabama softball team opened the 2010 Gulf South Conference Crossover with a 4-0 shutout of West foe Delta State on Thursday at the Wilson Morgan Softball Complex.
The Tigers moved to 29-16 overall and 6-9 in GSC play. The Lady Statesmen fell to 24-18 and 10-11 in the conference. The win also marked the 100th for UWA skipper Will Atkinson as a Tiger. The third-year head coach reached the 200-career wins plateau a season ago.
The pitching duo of Hannah Billingsley and Katie Ford stifled the DSU bats all day as the Green and White combined for just two hits in the contest off the UWA pair. Billingsley tossed the first four innings before handing over the tossing duties to Ford in the fifth. Nine of Billingsley's 11 puts were ground ball outs as the lone hit she allowed came off the bat of Paige Silverthorn in the third. Ford fanned five and touched for a hit in her work in the circle.
After Ford struck out the side in the fifth, the Tiger bats came alive in their half of the inning. UWA sent nine to the plate and put together a four-run, four-hit frame to break open a scoreless affair. Senior catcher Angela Hanna started the inning with single, followed by a bunt single by Lauren Mills. After a fly ball out, Anna Shartzer drove a single up the middle to load the bases. A squeeze bunt by Stephanie Beahn plated Hanna along with pinch runner Mary Wright after a DSU fielding miscue. Another DSU fielding miscue aided in UWA scoring another two runs. An errant throw to second on a steal attempt by UWA scored Beahn and advanced Shartzer. Junior Jessica Powell posted an RBI with a single up the middle to close out the scoring.
Ford earned the win to move to 20-5 on the season. Hanna led the Red and White at the plate with a pair of UWA's seven hits.
Friday's action begins at Noon with the Tigers squaring off with No. 24 Arkansas at Monticello before a 4 p.m. tilt with Southern Arkansas. All games at this weekend can be followed through live stats at www.uwaathletics.com.
