ROME, Ga. - Marissa Mitchell recorded her 22nd home run and 76th RBI of the season as Softball swept Shorter in conference doubleheader action, 6-1 and 3-1, at the Alto Park Softball Complex Saturday afternoon.
With the win, head coach Stephanie Defeo earned her 100th victory as the leader of the Tiger Softball program.
GAME ONE: West Alabama 6, Shorter 1
In the top of the first, Marissa Mitchell's two-run home run broke the UWA single-record to give the Tigers a 2-0 lead.
Hitting her 22nd of year, the junior power hitting shortstop surpasses LP Trammell (2023), Ann Marie Stanbridge (2023) and Heather Shugart (2007) to break the log jam at 21.
Mitchell also laid claim to the runs batted in record with her 73rd and 74th of the season.
The record was previously held by Shugart, who had 73 in 2007.
Ann Marie Stanbridge followed suit in the next at-bat, smashing her 15th homer of the season, stretching the lead to three runs.
After working her way to third base via a double and a stolen base, Riley Sullivan stole home to give UWA a 4-0 advantage after the first stanza.
Mitchell batted in her third run of the day with an RBI sacrifice groundout to bump the visitors lead to 5-0 after an inning and a half.
The Tiger shortstop tacked on her fourth RBI of the day in the top of the fourth inning, sending Taylor Clegg home to score UWA's sixth run of the contest.
The Hawks put a dent in the Tiger lead in the bottom of the fifth with a Alex Hollingsworth RBI single.
The West Alabama defense tightened up in the sixth and seventh innings, retiring seven of the last eight batters to take the game one win.
Madison Wright (21-8) pitched a complete game in the circle, striking out nine batters.
Marissa Mitchell recorded a homer and four RBIs on three hits.
Ann Marie Stanbridge accounted for the fifth Tiger RBI of the contest with a solo home run.
GAME TWO: West Alabama 3, Shorter 1 (8 inn.)
Shorter came out of the gate ready to swing the bat in game two, taking a 1-0 first inning lead with an RBI double to right center from Kaylee George.
The Hawks kept the Tiger bats at bay for three innings, allowing only one hit and no runs.
Riley Sullivan put an end to the Tiger scoring silence in the top of the fourth inning with a solo shot over the left field wall to tie the game at one apiece.
Neither squad allowed a run in the next three and a half frames, with a combined seven runners being stranded on base.
With the contest going into extras, Ann Marie Stanbridge blew the ballgame wide open with a two-run rocket to dead center in the top of the eighth to give UWA a 3-1 lead late.
Madison Wright came on in relief of Stanbridge in the circle in the bottom half of the inning.
She struck ou two of the final three Shorter batters to get the save.
Stanbridge (5-3) got the win in the circle, tossing three shutout innings.
West Alabama advances to 32-16 on the year and 15-14 in Gulf South Conference play. Shorter falls to 2-44 and 1-28.
UWA will conclude the three-game series with SU Sunday afternoon at the Alto Park Softball Complex. The first pitch is set for 1 p.m. EDT.
