AMERICUS, Ga. - The University of West Alabama Softball team extended their winning streak to seven on Wednesday after sweeping their midweek double header against Georgia Southwestern.
West Alabama (21-12, 10-8 GSC) dominated Wednesday's double header against Georgia Southwestern (15-15, 4-5 PBC) in all facets of the game as the Tigers scored a total of 20 runs, while holding the Hurricanes to two runs across 13 innings.
GAME ONE: UWA 7, GSW 0
The reigning GSC Pitcher of the Week, Madison Wright, got the start for UWA in Game One and pitched another gem, falling just four outs away from a Perfect Game.
Before taking the mound, the Tigers gave Wright a one-run lead as Marissa Mitchell drove in Trinity Hatcher to get things started for West Alabama.
Wright and UWA held their 1-0 lead for three more inning until they extended it in the fourth. Stanbridge and Taylor Clegg both drew walks before Ella Watson drove Stanbridge in to make it a 2-0 game in favor of the Tigers. In the bottom half, Georgia Southwestern continued to struggle with Wright in the mound as the lefty recorded her fourth consecutive 1-2-3 inning.
West Alabama created some distance from Georgia Southwestern in the fifth inning with Jessica Cross beginning UWA's side by hitting her third Home Run of the season. Haley Shannon and Jessica Rose followed that with a single and a walk until Stanbridge drove both of them in with a two-single.
Working with a 5-0 lead, Wright continued her dominance in the circle as she held the Hurricanes off the base paths all the way up to the sixth inning until a two-out double from GSW's Savana Bradford broke up Wright's Perfect Game. After Bradford's double, the senior registered her fourth strikeout of the game to get out of the inning.
In the top of the seventh, the West Alabama offense added on two more insurance runs with La'Taviona Parke driving in Clegg with a sacrifice fly and Watson scoring off a wild pitch.
Leading 7-0 in the bottom of the seventh, Wright put a stamp on an impressive all-around performance, by closing the Hurricanes out to secure a seven-run win in Game One.
Wright finished with a pitching line of 7.0 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 0 ER, 6 SO. Offensively, Watson and Cross recorded two hits while Stanbridge registered a game-high two RBIs.
GAME TWO: UWA 13, GSW 2
Megan Roe made the first start of her UWA career in Game Two and received a plethora of run support early in the contest.
In the first inning, Clegg got West Alabama's offensive onslaught off with an RBI-single that scored Hatcher.
Georgia Southwestern put two runners on in the bottom half of the inning, but Roe worked her way out of it to keep the Tigers' lead in tact.
UWA added onto their advantage in the top of the second as Shannon drove in Riley Sullivan, making it 2-0 in favor of West Alabama. Roe followed that up, by breezing through the bottom half to set the stage for a big third inning for the Tigers.
Stanbridge began the inning with a lead-off single before Mitchell hit a towering two-run homer to dead center to extend West Alabama's lead to four. After Mitchell's Home Run, UWA scored three more runs due to costly mistakes from GSW. Clegg scored off a Hurricanes' error before Watson and Cross scored off Wild pitches, putting the Tigers up 7-0.
Roe continued her work on the mound, retiring the sides with no issues to turn things back over to UWA's red hot offense. Watson stretched the Tigers' lead out to nine in the top of the fourth as the freshman doubled home Clegg before scoring off a wild pitch later in the inning.
West Alabama held their 9-0 lead into the fifth inning where Georgia Southwestern pushed across their first runs of the game. Malone Aldridge recorded an RBI-single before scoring on an error to make it a 9-2 game.
After the Hurricanes pushed two runs across in the fifth, the Tigers responded with a four-run inning in the sixth. Mitchell began the inning with a lead-off walk before Clegg registered her fourth hit of the game, putting runners on first and second with no outs. Watson came to the plate next and singled home Mitchell before Watson and Clegg scored off an error. Later in the inning, Shannon ripped an RBI-double, scoring Sullivan to put UWA up 13-2.
Now three outs away from a run rule victory, head coach Stephanie Defeo went to Eleanor De Block out of the bullpen. De Block got the final three outs as West Alabama cruised to a 13-2 victory.
Clegg led the way offensively, going 4-4 at the plate along with three runs and one RBI. Roe picked up her third win of the season after 5.0 innings of work.
West Alabama will bring their seven-game winning streak back home this weekend for a three-game series against Union.
