LIVINGSTON, Ala. – The University of West Alabama baseball team picked up a series-opening victory with the University of West Georgia in Gulf South Conference action, 13-6, Saturday afternoon from Tartt Field. The Wolves defeated the Tigers in the second game by a 5-0 score.
West Alabama moves to 14-15 and 7-10 in league play after Saturday's games. West Georgia heads to Sunday with a 15-14 overall mark and 8-6 in the GSC.
GAME 1: West Alabama 13, West Georgia 6
The Tigers took nearly a turn through the batting order before getting to Jack Rasmussen in the third. No. 9 hitter
Jack Beck started the frame with a lead off knock through the right side.
After
Kyle Vogler reached on an infield hit,
Houston Kitterman got UWA on the board first with an RBI single to left center field.
Follow
Cade Horton's hit by pitch to load the bases,
Nick Thibodeau made it a 3-0 lead with a two-run single. That would be the end of the day for the starter Rasmussen.
The Tigers kept the bat racks hot after
Bryant Quimby set the Wolves down in order in the top of the fourth, and it did not take long to add on to the UWA lead.
Chase Dejean led off the frame with a home run.
UWA made it a 6-0 lead after some help from the West Georgia defense. With runners on first and second,
Bryce Newman laid down a sacrifice bunt. Brendan Parks threw the ball to third base to get the force, and it went down the left field line and Beck and
Ryan Fletcher scored on the play.
UWG avoided the shutout with two solo shots in the sixth, but
Blake Vineyard responded with a home run of his own to make it a 7-2 lead after seven innings of play.
The Wolves made interesting in the eighth, adding two more runs to cut the Tiger lead to three runs, but a six-run eighth put the game away for the home team.
Kitterman made it an 11-4 lead with a three-run bomb, and later, Dejean laced a two-run single for the 13-4 advantage.
Houston Kitterman had a 2-for-4 day at the plate with four RBIs and his first home run of the season.
Chase Dejean also hit his first long ball of the season as he finished the opener 2-for-5 with three RBIs, while
Blake Vineyard added two hits, including his second homer of the campaign.
Bryant Quimby (3-2) tossed seven innings, allowing six base runners on three hits, two walks and a hit by pitch) two earned runs and fanning five batters.
Jared Emory led UWG with two hits and RBIs each.
GAME 2: West Georgia 5, West Alabama 0
In the second game of the twin bill, the Tigers stayed scoreless through the first three innings, but in the fourth, UWG ended that narrative. After the visitors loaded the bases, a Mason Cooper hit by pitch put them on the board first. After the Tigers went to the bullpen, Cade Hohl made it a 3-0 lead with a two-run double down the left field line.
UWG added single runs in the fifth and seventh to put the contest away.
In the bottom of the fifth, trailing 4-0, the Tigers were able to load the bases with two outs after walks by
Ryan Fletcher and
Kyle Vogler and a pinch hit single by
Will Wood, but the threat was averted on a pop out to second base.
Blake Vineyard and
Will Wood each had two hits for the Tigers in the night cap.
Cade Hohl went 2-for-3 with two RBIs to lead the Wolves.
West Alabama will wrap up the series on Sunday at 1 p.m. in the rubber match of the three-game series from Tartt Field.
