JACKSON, Tenn. – West Alabama rallied behind a pair of outstanding starting pitching performances to sweep a Gulf South Conference baseball doubleheader over Union and extend its school-record winning streak to 17 games. UWA won the first game, 9-1, and the second, 8-0, at Fesmire Field.
 
West Alabama remained in control of the GSC standings with the sweep, improving to 28-8 overall and 20-5 in conference play. Union dropped to 7-30 and 5-21. The Tigers and Bulldogs are scheduled to finish the three-game series Sunday at 1 p.m.
 
Jorge Cruz (8-2) won his sixth straight start in game one and Fernando Gonzalez (8-1) went the distance for his third complete game victory and first shutout in game two. Union starters Marty Coursey (0-9) and Teddy Christie (3-5) were tagged with the losses.
 
Cruz went eight innings, allowing one run while scattering four hits and striking out seven. He did not walk a batter. Gonzalez worked seven shutout innings, striking out seven, walking two and scattering seven hits.
 
West Alabama pitchers have allowed just 13 earned runs over the last 14 games. The UWA pitching staff has a combined 1.71 earned run average over the 17 game winning streak.
 
Tanner Rainey hit a home run in each game, a solo shot in the first game and a two-run blast in game two, giving him 11 for the season. Rainey is second in the GSC In home runs.
 
The Tigers jumped out to a 5-0 lead after four innings in game one. Luigi Mendez and Nick Delgado drove in runs in the second inning and Jack Cockrum tripled in a run in the third before scoring on a wild pitch. Rainey's first homer came in the fourth inning.
 
After Union scored a run in the fifth, the Tigers put the game totally out of reach with four runs in the eighth inning. Mitch Holgate and Eddie Kieffer both doubled in runs and Mendez singled in another.
 
Gonzalez got the only run he would need in the second inning of game two when Mendez picked up his third RBI of the day in a two-run second inning. Holgate had an RBI single in the third before UWA exploded for four runs in the fourth inning.
 
Rainey hit his second home run in the fourth, a blistering line drive over the left field wall. Cockrum drove in another with a sacrifice fly and Nick Delgado scored from third when Holgate struck out swinging but the ball was mishandled by the Bulldog catcher allowing Holgate to reach. UWA picked up an unearned run in the sixth to close out the scoring.
 
Rainey, Mendez, Delgado and Daniel Bolte all had three hits for West Alabama in the doubleheader. Jim Martin rapped out four hits for Union in the two games.