LIVINGSTON, Ala. - The No. 13 University of West Alabama softball team tallied up a combined 29 runs in two wins over West Florida on Saturday at the UWA Softball Complex, clinching a series sweep over the Argos with scores of 14-11 and 15-7.
GAME 1: West Alabama 14, West Florida 11
The bats stayed quiet through the first inning, with neither Ann Marie Stanbridge nor Montana Young allowing a run the early going. That all changed in the second inning, as Chelse Dumas shot life into the Argos with a grand slam to give the visitors a 4-0 lead early.
Mary Grace Sheffield pulled the Tigers within striking distance in the bottom of the second with a two-run homer.
West Florida extended its lead with a solo homer from Madelyn Vasquez in the top of the third, but Marissa Mitchell would shoot West Alabama right back in it, sending a three-run homer over the fence to tie the contest at five runs apiece.
After the Argos took back the lead in the top of the fourth inning, the Tigers fired back with a three-run burst in the bottom of the inning, led by a two-run homer from Emily Cowart.
The Argos weren't done just yet, as Jessie Baughan cut the West Alabama lead to two with a solo shot in the top of the fifth. In the sixth, the Argos tacked on four more runs to reclaim the lead, 11-9.
In a battle of home run derby, the Tigers found a way to come out on top, scoring five runs in the sixth inning, headlined by a Riley Sullivan three-run house call to give the Tigers the lead for good, 12-11. Grace Hunter and Sara Fargo added two insurance runs later in the frame.
In the seventh, Eleanor De Block worked around a two-out walk to seal the series for West Alabama after taking the opener on Friday.
"I'm proud of how we battled today. This was a huge series and we executed in the right moments," said head coach Stephanie Defeo.
West Alabama's hot bats and determination to not back down from the challenge led to a 14-11 victory in game one.
GAME 2: West Alabama 15, West Florida 7 (6 innings)
The Argos found early success in game two of the day, scoring three runs off three straight RBI doubles.
The Tigers answered right back in the bottom of the opening inning, scoring three runs of their own. After Ann Marie Stanbridge broke the scoring for UWA on an RBI groundout, Marissa Mitchell followed with a double to center field. Two batters later, Riley Sullivan brought home Mitchell for the team's third run thanks to a UWF throwing error.
Kelsie Gilliam gave the Tigers a two-run advantage in the bottom of the second. After a two-out RBI single, she later touched home plate thanks to a couple of wild pitches by Hannah Harper.
Jessie Baughan restored order to the third base dugout with a three-run homer to take back the lead, 6-5, in the top of the third.
Emily Cowart and Sullivan wouldn't be left out as the Tigers' outfielder and designated player hit back-to-back home runs to regain the lead in the bottom half of the frame.
Grace Ausborn added on to the UWA advantage, reaching home on an error, giving West Alabama an 8-6 lead heading into the fourth.
In the fourth, Mitchell kept the Tiger bats hot, hitting another RBI to drive in Gaddy Utsey.
The Argos took a chunk out of the UWA advantage in the top of the fifth, courtesy of a Hannah Harper homer, cutting the West Florida deficit to two, 9-7.
In the bottom half of the frame, the Tigers did some more two-out damage. After a Gilliam triple and back-to-back walks by Taylor Clegg and Stanbridge, Mitchell took the air out of the visitor's sails, smashing a grand slam over the left field fence to take a six-run lead, 13-7.
The Tigers put the game in run-rule effect in the bottom of the sixth, scoring two more runs thanks to a Mary Grace Sheffield solo homer and a bases loaded free pass by Clegg for the eight-run victory.
"This was a total team effort," said Defeo.
West Alabama moves to 12-4 overall and 4-2 in Gulf South Conference play, while West Florida falls to 9-7 and 0-3.
The women will head to the state capital next Friday and Saturday, March 1-2, to take on Auburn Montgomery in a conference series. The first pitch on Friday is set for 5 p.m.
