LIVINGSTON, Ala. – A strong pitching performance in the nightcap produced the first series victory of the year for the West Alabama baseball team as the Tigers split the day with No. 24 Nova Southeastern to take three of four from the Sharks. A 3-0 victory coupled with an 11-10 loss in 11 innings gives UWA an 8-7 record, while NSU is now 8-6.

Taylor Bratton (1-1) was quite sharp as he threw 6.1 innings of two-hit baseball while not allowing a run to keep his ERA at 0.00 on the season. While the Oakville, Ontario, native did walk three Sharks in the contest, he struck out six on the night.

Brian Burgess (2) struck out the final two batters of the game to earn the save, and the Tiger pitching duo combined for UWA's second shutout on the season.

The only run the Tigers would need in the weekend finale came in the first inning as Ladarrius Cole scored his team-leading 17th run after being hit by a pitch from Nova starter Ryan Whelan (2-1). Remaining perfect in stolen base attempts, the junior swiped his ninth bag of the year to put himself in position to score when Micah Reaves singled later in the inning.

Providing some insurance, the Red and White tacked on an additional pair of runs in its half of the sixth.

Jeremy Rice earned his second double of the season as he looped the ball over the outstretched glove of the NSU first baseman and down the right field line to plate Kevin Deese, and Rice came around to score when a ball off the bat of Deon Williams was misplayed at short.

With a pair of hits in the victory, Deese finished the day going 5-for-8 at the plate including a double, and he scored three times while also driving in three runs. The two-bagger gives the slugger four on the season and bumps his slugging percentage up to a team-best .596.

The Tigers appeared in control of the afternoon's first contest, holding a 7-3 advantage after four innings. The seven-run spurt was keyed by Reaves who had a two-run bomb in the fourth – his third of the year – and he also singled and scored a run in the first. Both frames saw the Tigers score three runs.

UWA starter Jeb Huber was roughed up for the first time this season as he gave up nine runs on 10 hits, including allowing the visitors to put up six in the fifth inning to give the Sharks a 9-7 advantage. His record remains perfect, however, as his team got him off the hook by coming back to tie the affair in the late innings.

After NSU tacked on a run in the top half, Clint Brown earned an unconventional RBI as he was hit by a pitch with the bases packed. The plunking forced in Brian Simone who scored three runs in the game.

Trailing by two going into the final scheduled inning, Simone again pulled through in the clutch as he did in Friday afternoon's nightcap, ripping a pitch into left field to plate Coleman McClendon and Jay Jennings. The scoring came with none out, and it appeared that UWA might walk off for the second consecutive game, but Sean Albury (1-1) wiggled out of the situation to force extra innings.

Neither team threatened in the 10th, but the Sharks scratched out a run against Burgess (1-1) in the 11th to give the 24th-ranked team its lone victory of the weekend.¬

The 2-3-4 hitters in the UWA lineup were particularly impressive in the narrow defeat. Simone went 3-for-6 at the plate to go along with the three runs, while Deese had three of his hits on the day in the contest. Deese also drew a pair of walks and scored twice to go along with the three runs he drove in. The cleanup batter Reaves collected two hits, while also driving in two runs and scoring twice.

UWA will return to action a week from today on March 5 when the team opens up conference play against North Alabama with a doubleheader scheduled to begin at 3 p.m.