DECATUR, Ala. – The University of West Alabama softball team claimed a pair of victories on day two of the Gulf South Conference Crossover with a 7-5 edging of Southern Arkansas in the opener and a 4-1 victory over #20 University of Arkansas at Monticello to close out the day's action.

The Tigers (24-12, 4-10 GSC) pasted all four of their runs on the board in the first inning in the win over UAM. UWA logged just four hits in the contest with three coming in the scoring frame.

The first four hitters for the Red and White reached base in the first inning with walks from Anna Shartzer and Valisha Fincher, a single from Taylor Beck and a RBI single by Jessica Powell that scored Shartzer for the first run of the outing. One batter later Kelli Hartley singled down the left field line to score Beck and Fincher. Meagan Sloke laid down a sacrifice bunt that scored Powell for the last of the Tigers' runs.

Kristen Skinner (11-4) pitched the complete game with three hits allowed, four strikeouts and a walk. The Toxey, Ala., junior also garnered two putouts and three assists on the day.

The lone Cotton Blossom run came in the second inning as Jennifer Hickman scored on the only Tiger miscue in the contest.

In the opening affair of the day, UWA rallied from 3-0 down behind a three-run, fifth inning and four-run, sixth inning to take a 7-3 lead into the final inning.

SAU plated singles in the first, fourth and fifth inning to jump out to its early lead. The Tigers answered in a big way in the fifth inning to knot the contest at 3-all on a three-run homerun to center field by Fincher. The homer, the 41st of her career, landed past the secondary fence at Wilson-Morgan Park and rejuvenated the Tiger bats.

UWA took its first lead of the contest as Hartley scored on a bases loaded walk. Allison Lockhart scored on the next play to put the Red and White up two. The final pair of Tiger runs came on SAU errors as Shartzer and Caitlyn Bonham added to the Red and White's run total.

SAU wouldn't go away quietly in its final at-bat as the first three batters all reached base to setup up a Brittany Wood single to left field that scored Julie Essary and Chelsea Knox. However, the rally would end there for the Lady Muleriders.

Katie Ford (11-3) pitched six innings in the circle for the win with three runs allowed on eight hits with two strikeouts and a pair of walks. Skinner pitched the final frame with a strikeout. Hannah Griffin, who relieved Ford in the final frame, surrendered two runs on four hits with a walk.

Saturday's slate consists of a 2 p.m. meeting with Christian Brothers and a 4 p.m. affair with Henderson State. Live stats will be available for all contests.

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