FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The University of West Alabama baseball team wrapped up its doubleheader against #22 Nova Southeastern with a split, dropping the opener 6-1 before bouncing back with an offensive explosion in a 13-7 victory in game two on Saturday at NSU Baseball Stadium.
Game 1: Nova Southeastern 6, West Alabama 1
West Alabama (3-4) struck first in the opening inning when
Joe Watkins doubled down the left-field line, driving in
Jake Goolsby for an early 1-0 lead. However, Nova Southeastern (5-1) quickly responded with a run of their own in the bottom half, followed by a two-run second inning to take control of the game.
The Sharks extended their lead behind a Jorge DeGoti solo home run in the third and a two-run shot from Matthew Corpas in the sixth, sealing the victory.
West Alabama struggled to generate consistent offense, collecting six hits but stranding multiple runners on base. Watkins led the Tigers with two hits and the lone RBI.
Bryant Quimby (0-2) took the loss, allowing four runs on six hits over four innings, while
Drew Cartee and
Gates Pee combined for four solid innings of relief.
On the mound, Kyler Heyne (1-0) was dominant for the Sharks, striking out eight over seven innings while allowing just one run.
Game 2: West Alabama 13, Nova Southeastern 7
The Tigers bounced back in game two with an offensive explosion, racking up 13 runs on 12 hits to secure their third win of the season.
After trailing 5-3 entering the fourth,
Nick Wilson delivered the biggest swing of the game a grand slam home run to put West Alabama back on top, 8-5. The Tigers added insurance runs in the later innings, highlighted by a two-run homer from
Eli Burwash and a two-run single by
Bryce Newman in the seventh.
Watkins continued his strong performance with two hits, two runs, and two RBIs, while Burwash, Newman, and Wilkerson also recorded multi-hit games.
On the mound,
Nolan Phillips (1-0) earned the win in relief, tossing 2.1 hitless innings with four strikeouts.
Laney Keeton started and allowed five runs over 2.2 innings before Phillips and
Jack Hoppenjans closed out the game.
With the split, the Tigers improve to 3-4 on the season and will look to carry the momentum into their next matchup against Lynn University on Sunday at 11 a.m.
