ROME, Ga. – West Alabama softball split a Gulf South Conference double header with Shorter, defeating the Lady Hawks 7-5 in Game 1 before falling 9-0 in Game 2 at the Alto Park Softball Complex on Friday.

With the split, the Lady Hawks (23-21, 12-14 GSC) retain a two-game lead for eighth place in the conference standings over the Tigers (20-25, 10-16).

"It's never easy to play from behind, and we put ourselves in that situation twice today," UWA head coach Carie Dever-Boaz said. "I liked the way the girls responded in the first game. No body lost their composure and we were able to fight back.

"I just can't figure out how our defense can play so well in one game, and then come out and kick the ball around in the next."

Shorter jumped out to a quick 4-0 lead in the bottom of the first, picking up a run-batted-in from both Ericka Bynum and Dani Lukas before a pair of passed balls allowed Kameron Carter and Lukas to cross the plate.

The Tigers took advantage of a Shorter fielding miscue, picking up two unearned runs in the top of the second as a mishandled grounder allowed Chelsea Lobitos and Ashlend Rodriguez to touch home.

UWA cut the deficit to one run in the third, driving Allison Craft home on a single off the bat of Sarah Beth King.

West Alabama took the lead in the next frame, pulling ahead 5-4 as Craft singled up the middle to score Diekmann and Rodriguez. A sacrifice fly from Rodriguez in the fifth pushed Abby McKee across to extend the UWA lead to 6-4. King led off the seventh with a solo homer, her sixth of the year, widening the gap to 7-4.

The Lady Hawks put together a two out rally in the bottom of the seventh, pulling within two runs on an RBI double from Bynum before Rodriguez sealed the victory with an unassisted force out at third.

King's three hits paced the Tigers at the plate, while Craft and Rodriguez tallied two hits in the win. Jenna Goldsmith, AC Storey, McKee and Lobitos each chipped in a hit. Craft and King led UWA with two RBI each.

Maddie Hunt totaled three hits for the Lady Hawks, while Bynum recorded a pair of hits. Taylor Martin, Savannah Thomas, Dani Lukas and Carter each collected a hit in the contest.

Andrea Edmonds (16-20) earns the win, limiting the Lady Hawks to one run on four hits through the final six frames after getting pegged for four runs on five hits in the first inning. Payton Lippert (9-7) takes the loss, giving up four earned runs on nine hits in four innings of work.

The double-header finale was all Shorter, beginning in the first inning as Bymun picked up an RBI with a groundout to shortstop for a 1-0 advantage.

The Lady Hawks utilized eight hits and three Tiger errors to drive four runs across in both the second and fourth innings, expanding their lead to a final 9-0.

Tiffany Holland, Carter and Lukas each posted two hits in the Game 2 win for the Lady Hawks. Abby Valdes, Hannah Draper, Hunt and Bynum all chipped in a hit. Goldsmith, Lobitos and McKee each accounted for one of the Tigers' three hits.

"I thought (Ashley) Stassin threw well today," Dever-Boaz said. "It's hard to come back into a position that requires a fine-tuned skill after an injury, and pick up right where you left off."

Hannah Draper (7-8) earns the win, disallowing a run on just three hits. Stassin (4-5) takes the loss, allowing three earned runs on five hits in 1.2 innings of work.

The Tigers will wrap-up the GSC series against Shorter with Game 3 on Saturday. First pitch at the Alto Park Softball Complex is set for noon CDT.