PENSACOLA, Fla. – Swept for the first time this season, the West Alabama baseball team dropped the series finale with No. 1 West Florida on Sunday afternoon as it fell by an 8-3 score. The setback drops the Tigers to 16-15 (3-8 Gulf South Conference) while UWF improves to 34-4 (10-1 GSC).

The loss is the fifth consecutive for UWA.

The Argos put together an impressive offensive performance as they collected 16 hits on the day including 10 off of UWA starter Taylor Bratton (2-3) – a striking number as the freshman southpaw entered the weekend allowing the fifth-fewest hits in the GSC.

He finished the day throwing just five innings while giving up five runs – four earned – and he walked one while striking out three.

Colton Henderson and Brian Burgess both tossed scoreless innings of relief, while UWF got to Josh Varner for three additional runs in the eighth.

Stymied by Daniel Vargas-Vila (8-1), the Tiger offense managed just two hits off of the West Florida starter. He registered six strikeouts while walking just two, and he did not allow a runner past second in his eight innings of work.

UWA's three runs came in the top of the ninth off of UWF reliever Jordan Rasinski. He gave up a single to Ladarrius Cole and hit Kevin Deese with a pitch before giving up a two-run double from Brian Simone. The two-bagger is Simone's team-best 14th of the year and gives him 27 RBI on the season, a number that is also tops on the squad.

Jeremy Rice knocked in Simone with a base knock for the team's other run as UWA finished the contest with five hits.

The Tigers will now return home to face West Georgia next weekend. The three-game set begins on Saturday, Apr. 16, with a doubleheader that is slated to start at 3 p.m. at Tartt Field.