LIVINGSTON, Ala. – West Alabama hitters combined for five home runs on the day, splitting the Gulf South Conference-opening double header with Delta State with a 3-1 victory in Game One and a 7-5 loss in extra innings in Game Two at the UWA Softball Complex on Saturday.

The Tigers move to 4-7 overall and 1-1 in GSC play, while the Lady Statesmen improve to 7-6 on the season with a 1-1 league record.

"I thought we played excellent in the first game," UWA head coach Carie Dever-Boaz said. "I couldn't have asked for anything more from our girls."

"If we can execute the basics and take what the game gives to us, we can take the final game of the series tomorrow. We need to stay hungry, make the plays, find our spots and take advantage of what given to us."

After falling behind a run on a Kara Lane Nowell RBI double in the second inning, West Alabama took a lead it would not relinquish in the bottom of the third. The Tigers evened the game at 1-1 as a hard-hit grounder to second base by Ashley Stassin allowed Audrey Diekmann to cross the plate, while Kierra Hague jumped UWA over DSU with a solo shot over center field for her first homer of the season.

The Tigers tacked on another run in the fifth as Stassin recorded her second RBI of the game on a two-bagger that drove Jenna Goldsmith home, extending West Alabama's lead to 3-1.

Stassin went 2-for-3 at the plate in her first outing of the day, grabbing two runs-batted-in and a double. Hague's homer came on her only hit of the game. Madison Zoeller scored the Lady Statesmen's only run.

Andrea Edmonds (3-4) earned the win, allowing just one run while striking out three in her second complete game of the year. Brooke Watts (0-1) took the loss, giving up the go-ahead run in one-third inning pitched.

"We had so many missed opportunities in the second game," Dever-Boaz said. "We had some defensive miscues that cost us three runs in the fifth, made some base-running errors and couldn't get some bunts down. But, despite all of that, our girls fought through it.'

Trailing 2-0 in the bottom of the third, Diekmann cut the Lady Statesmen's lead in half with a solo blast over the right field fence for her fourth of the 2017 campaign. Allison Craft leveled the run column with her first collegiate homer, a one-run blast in the bottom of the fourth to tie the game at 2-2.

Delta State took West Alabama's call and raised them three runs in the top of the fifth, culminating with a two-run homer by Mari Alex Sandridge.

???????Stassin cut the deficit to two runs with the Tigers' third solo homer of the game before a single from Ashley Smart drove Hague across the plate, pulling UWA within a run headed into the sixth inning.

???????Diekmann launched a near identical shot over right field in the bottom of the sixth, tying the game for the second time with her fifth homer of the season and the final run of the regulation-length seven innings.

After neither side could deal a fatal blow through two extra frames, the international tie breaker came into effect in the 10^th inning, starting each team with a runner on second base to elicit a tie-breaking run.

"I hate that we had to go into an international tie breaker in a conference series when the two teams are battling," Dever-Boaz said. "However, it is what it is and Delta was able to capitalize where we didn't."

Delta State's Bailie Springfield drove placed-runner Abi Gibson home to give the Lady Statesmen the go-ahead run before an RBI double from Zoeller pushed Kory Watterson across the plate for a 7-5 DSU lead.

A wild pitch advanced UWA's placed-runner Chelsea Lobitos to third, while a walk put Diekmann at first. However, the Lady Statesmen stranded both runners to take the 7-5 win in game two.

Springfield (3-0) grabbed the win, striking out two and allowing one hit in relief of Sandridge. Edmonds (3-5) took the loss, ultimately giving up the final two runs in five complete innings of work.

Craft went 4-for-5, driving one run in while scoring one herself. Diekmann's two homers came on her only hits of the game. Watterson went 3-for-4 with two runs, and Jordan Jones recorded a RBI while scoring two on two hits.

"We are going to continue to fight," Dever-Boaz said. "It's still early in the conference, and I think we have woken some people up. We're going to have some mistakes, but the girls are hungry and that's all I can ask for."

The Tigers will wrap up the series with game three against Delta State on Sunday. First pitch at the UWA Softball Complex is set for 1 p.m.