CLEVELAND, Tenn. – West Alabama held off a late rally by Lee University to win game one 10-8 before falling to the flames 8-2 in game two in a Gulf South Conference Softball double-header at Butler Field on Saturday.
West Alabama moves to 14-23 and 6-17 in the GSC. Lee is now 15-22-1 and 3-18-1.
The Tigers came out early to take a 6-0 lead through the first two innings.
Ashley Stassin fueled the surge with an RBI single in the first inning and a two RBI single in the second.
As the Flames began to chip away at the UWA lead with two runs in the second,
Audrey Diekmann belted a two run home run in the fourth to keep the Tigers ahead 8-2. The homer lifted her to seven on the year as the team leader.
Lee battled back with six runs in the sixth to tie the game at 8-8. Emily Dagnan and Hallie Davis sparked the rally with back-to-back home runs on back-to-back pitches to start the inning.
In the sixth,
Kristen Bittle saved the day by reclaiming the lead, as well as the win, on a two run single. Bittle, along with Stassin each finished with three RBI's. Diekmann led with three hits and four runs in four at-bats.
Both teams posted 13 hits in the first game, while Lee went onto tally three errors. UWA finished with one error.
Andrea Edmonds (7-6) entered in the fifth inning to replace
Ashley Stassin in the circle. Edmonds picked up the win allowing two runs and four hits, while striking out one. Brianna Eichbaum (4-2) gave up four runs on six hits through the first five innings to take the loss.
In game two, Lee compiled seven runs through the first four innings before the Tigers were able to put a run on the board in the top of the fifth.
Devan Hines pinch hit for
Brittany Anderson with the bases loaded to tally an RBI single in her only at-bat of the day.
The Flames maintained its seven run lead, responding with a solo homer by Rachel Polacek in the bottom of the inning.
Kallie Klinger tallied West Alabama's second run on a throwing error by Lee in the top of the sixth. Klinger had reached on a single to centerfield. She finished 1-for-3 at the plate.
Jenna Goldsmith, who posted the Tigers first run, went 1-for-4.
Lee out-hit the Tigers 14-5 in game two, while the Flames led 4-3 in errors. UWA left 12 runners on base, including the bases loaded four times.
Amanda Lynn, Lexie Dean and Polacek each totaled three hits. Stevie Baird and Polacek each led with two RBI, while Baird and Dean led with two runs each.
Angie Hughes (6-12) picked up the win, striking out 10 batters through seven innings.
Amanda Medders (3-11) took the loss, allowing six earned runs through seven innings.
"I felt like we were in control in game one," said UWA head coach
Will Atkinson.
"We were cruising and then we gave up six runs. We gave up a lot of hits today and left a lot of people on base. It's one of those situations where if the offense gets some more timely hits, and the defense makes the routine plays, we're really going to have a chance. We'll try to come out here tomorrow and put this series under our belt and make that drive back to Livingston a little shorter."
The series will conclude with game three on Sunday. First pitch is set for 1 p.m. (C.S.T.).
