JACKSON, Tenn. – The No. 13 University of West Alabama softball team picked up a doubleheader split in Gulf South Conference play over Union University.
After the first GSC series of the season, West Alabama sits at 9-4 overall and 1-2 in the league, while Union is 7-4 and 2-1.
GAME 1: Union 3, West Alabama 2
West Alabama got the offense going in the first inning.
Kelsie Gilliam worked around a nine-pitch leadoff walk and later stole second.
Taylor Clegg followed with a double to left field to strike first.
Union followed a similar script in the bottom half of the inning with a leadoff single by Morgan Jennings. After she took second, Macey Neal brought Jennings home on a double to left center.
After a couple of quiet innings, West Alabama had an opportunity to break the 1-1 tie. After free passes by
Ann Marie Stanbridge and
Eleanor De Block,
Kori Young was plunked with a pitch to load the bases. However, a fielder's choice and a strikeout by the Lady Bulldogs' Riley Vaughn kept the Tigers off the board.
In the bottom of the sixth, Union broke the 1-1 draw with a solo home run by Courtney Marler.
In the seventh, the Tigers, down to their final out, Clegg launched a solo shot to center field to even the game back at 2-2.
However, the Lady Bulldogs responded swiftly in the bottom half of the inning with their second walk off in as many days with a walk off single by Neal.
Taylor Clegg went 2-for-4 with a homer and a double and added two RBIs.
GAME 2: West Alabama 6, Union 3
After salvaging the series, Union was looking for the series win in the finale. The rally started for the Lady Bulldogs in the bottom of the first. Macey Neal sent a ball over the right field fence for the two-run homer.
However, the Tigers offense finally got going in the next half inning, and they didn't waste any time. Leading off the second,
Marissa Mitchell sent the second pitch she saw over the right center field wall to cut the Union lead in half, 2-1.
In the third, after
Mary Grace Sheffield and
Sara Fargo reached on back-to-back infield hits and a
Kelsie Gilliam free pass,
Taylor Clegg gave UWA the lead with a two-run single.
West Alabama added insurance in the fourth with a two-out solo homer by Sheffield. In the bottom half, Union made it a one-run game again with a Bryleigh Carneal RBI base knock.
However, UWA got the run back in the fifth after a Gilliam leadoff double,
Ann Marie Stanbridge brought her home on a sacrifice fly.
The Tigers added more insurance in the seventh with a solo bomb by Clegg to open the inning.
After UWA took the 5-3 lead into the bottom of the fifth,
Madison Wright worked around a couple of base runners, but in the seventh, she retired the Lady Bulldogs in order to get the victory.
Taylor Clegg added three more hits in the night cap of the twin bill on Sunday with three RBI. Between the two games, she went 5-for-8 with two home runs and five RBIs.
Marissa Mitchell and
Mary Grace Sheffield also had two-hit games for the Tigers.
Madison Wright (5-3) went the distance, allowing three earned runs and fanning six batters.
After 13 games on the road to start the season, West Alabama will host its first series of the year against West Florida from the UWA Softball Complex. First pitch is slated for Friday at 5 p.m.
