VALDOSTA, Ala. - The University of West Alabama Softball team fell in their double header against the Valdosta State Blazers on Friday, losing Game One, 9-2, and Game Two, 7-6.
No. 22 West Alabama (14-8, 7-4 GSC) struggled to keep the ball in the yard on Friday, allowing five Home Runs across the two games to Valdosta State (11-11, 7-4 GSC), who leads the GSC in that category this season.
GAME ONE: VSU 9, UWA 2
Before Game One starter, Madison Wright, could take the mound, Marissa Mitchell continued her home run streak, belting her fifth consecutive homer deep into right center to put the Tigers on the board first.
In the bottom half of the first, Valdosta State put up a two spot courtesy of an RBI-single from Charlotte Phillips and a sac fly from Carly Bogart, putting UWA behind 2-1.
Wright bounced back, by retiring the Blazers' side in order in the bottom of the second before the Tigers tied the ball game in the top of the third. The inning began with Sarah Fargo drawing a lead off walk before Mitchell reached on an error. Fargo and Mitchell moved up a base following a wild pitch before Ann Marie Stanbridge drove in Fargo with a sacrifice fly.
Now tied at two, Wright seemed to have found her rhythm, getting through the third, fourth, and fifth innings unscathed until the lefty ran into trouble in the sixth.
Off the strength of six hits, Valdosta State pushed across seven runs in the bottom of the sixth, putting West Alabama in a 9-2 hole which was too much to overcome.
GAME TWO: VSU 7, UWA 6
After only mustering up two hits as a team in Game One, head coach Stephanie Defeo shifted around the batting order, moving Mitchell up to the leadoff spot. Four pitches into the game, Mitchell went deep again. The senior hit her sixth Home Run in her last five games to give West Alabama a 1-0 lead early.
VSU answered Mitchell's home run in the bottom half of the inning with one of their own as Aniston Gano hit a solo shot to tie the game at one, before taking the lead in the second courtesy of a two-run Home Run by Jayne Prandine.
De Block blanked Valdosta State in the third inning, bringing UWA's bats back to the plate. To leadoff the Tigers' side of the inning, Taylor Clegg hit her third Home Run of the season to cut West Alabama's deficit to 3-2.
De Block got through the fourth inning unscathed before Clegg continued her stellar day at the plate in the bottom half. Riley Sullivan, Mitchell, and Stanbridge all got on base, bringing up Clegg with the bases loaded. The senior Third Baseman delivered, driving in Sullivan and Mitchell with a two-run single, putting UWA back out in front, 4-3.
That's all the Tigers could push across in the fifth as they took their one-run lead into the bottom half.
The trading of runs continued for the remainder of the game with the Blazers retaking the lead in the bottom of the fifth thanks to a two-run Home Run from Bogart before Stanbridge gave West Alabama a 6-5 lead in the sixth with a two-run single.
In the bottom of the sixth, coach Defeo brought in Megan Roe out of the bullpen. Roe surrendered two walks in the inning but found herself one out away from getting out of the inning unscathed until Valdosta State's leading hitter in Gano delivered a game-tying RBI-single.
Now tied at six, UWA wasn't able to score in the top of the seventh, turning things over to VSU where Jayme Pradine walked it off with a sacrifice fly.
West Alabama will conclude their series against Valdosta State on Saturday with Game Three set for 11:00 a.m. CST.
