LIVINGSTON, Ala. – West Alabama hitters cranked out four homers for 12 runs-batted-in as the Tigers swept Mississippi College 7-4 and 13-5 in a Gulf South Conference double-header at the UWA Softball Complex on Saturday.
With the wins, the Tigers improve to 9-7 overall as part of a five-game winning streak and move to 4-1 in league play. The Lady Choctaws fall to 8-8 on the season, dropping to 2-3 in the GSC.
"It was a fantastic day," UWA head coach Carie Dever-Boaz said. "The girls hit the ball extremely well, and we capitalized when we had runners in scoring position."
The Tigers jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in Game 1, scoring one run in the first frame with an RBI double from
Kierra Hague and another in the third as a sacrifice fly from
Allison Craft drove
Audrey Diekmann home for the second time.
The Lady Choctaws evened the score in the top of the fourth as a sacrifice bunt from Alexia Harmon allowed Shayla McKissock to touch home before crossing the plate for an unearned run later in the inning.
West Alabama saw Mississippi College's two-run half-inning and raised them four in the bottom of the fourth, starting with a solo shot over left center for her first collegiate homer. Diekmann drove in two more with a single up the middle before scoring on an RBI single from
Abby McKee.
MC cut into the UWA lead with a two-run homer off the bat of Tylan Buckley in the fifth. However, a Lady Choctaw fielding error in the bottom of the sixth allowed
Chelsea Lobitos to score, sealing the 7-4 Game 1 win for the Tigers.
Diekmann led UWA at the plate, going 3-for-3 with two RBIs while touching home three times.
Bree Thompson, McKee, Hague, Craft and King each chipped in an RBI. MC's Buckley drove in two runners on two hits to pace the Lady Choctaws.
Andrea Edmonds (6-5) earns the win, allowing three earned runs while striking out six in her fourth complete game of the year. Penny Nichols (4-3) takes the loss, giving up four earned runs on eight hits in 4 complete innings of work.
"(Ashley) Stassin threw one of the best games I have seen her throw, and Bob (
Andrea Edmonds) did a good job as well," Dever-Boaz said.
Ashley Smart put the Tigers on the board in the first inning of Game 2, driving a single through the left side for two RBIs before a single from King pushed Stassin across the plate for a 3-0 UWA lead.
West Alabama extended its lead to 7-0 in the second frame, beginning with a two-RBI single off the bat of Stassin. A sacrifice bunt from Hague drove
Jenna Goldsmith home, while a Lobitos single allowed Stassin to cross the plate.
After the Lady Choctaws grabbed a run in the top of the third, the Tigers responded with a solo homerun from Diekmann and a two-run shot from Stassin in the bottom half of the inning, pushing UWA in front 10-1.
"We had a couple of defensive miscues," Dever-Boaz said, "but we didn't let a few mistakes turn into anything big."
Mississippi College cut the West Alabama lead in half in the fourth, scoring four on three singles and a Tiger fielding error. However, Stassin secured the 13-5, five-inning victory with a three-run blast to left center.
???????Stassin batted 1.000 in Game 2 with four plate appearances, earning seven RBIs while touching home all four times to lead the Tigers. Goldsmith also recorded a 1.000 game at the plate, going 3-for-3 with four runs scored. Lauren Mulligan paced MC in Game 2, going 2-for-2 with an RBI and two runs scored.
???????Stassin (3-2) earns the win, allowing just three hits and stranding two base runners through three complete innings before a four-run fourth inning left her with four earned runs on the day. Marley Peagler (2-1) takes the loss allowing nine earned runs on nine hits in 2.1 innings pitched.
"The girls were focused and determined, and the energy was fantastic," Dever-Boaz said. "It's a great day to be a Tiger."
West Alabama will conclude the three-game GSC series against Mississippi College on Sunday. First pitch for Game 3 in set for 1 p.m. at the UWA Softball Complex.
