LIVINGSTON, Ala. – West Alabama baseball turned in a pair of gritty performances on Saturday to sweep Day Two of the UWA Invitational, edging Albany State 6–5 in the afternoon before outlasting Augusta University, 3–2, under the lights at Tartt Field.
Game One: West Alabama 6, Albany State 5
The Tigers jumped out early against Albany State, using the long ball to seize momentum in the opening inning. Rashad Robinson led off the bottom of the first with a solo homer to left, and Nick Wilson followed two batters later with a blast of his own to give UWA a 2–0 advantage.
West Alabama added to the lead in the second without the benefit of a hit, drawing three walks and capitalizing on situational execution. Robinson worked a bases-loaded walk to score Kyle Blevins, and Aaron Wallace lifted a sacrifice fly to right to plate Peyton Moss, pushing the lead to 4–0.
Albany State responded with a four-run fifth inning, stringing together six hits to knot the game at 4–4. The Tigers answered in the seventh as Diego Bryant delivered a clutch RBI single to left, scoring Hudson Walburn to regain the lead.
The Golden Rams tied the game once more in the eighth, but West Alabama delivered the final blow in the ninth. Wallace opened the frame with a triple to right field, and after two intentional walks loaded the bases, Bryant came through again with a walk-off RBI single to third, scoring Layth Holiday for the 6–5 win.
Cade Miller earned the victory in relief, improving to 1–0 after tossing 1.1 innings and allowing just one hit. Nolan Phillips was strong out of the bullpen, working 2.1 scoreless innings with two strikeouts, while Bryant finished the game 2-for-5 with two RBIs.
Game Two: West Alabama 3, Augusta 2
In the nightcap, West Alabama leaned on pitching and timely hitting to secure another close win. The Tigers struck first in the opening inning as Wilson singled through the left side to score Robinson, giving UWA an early 1–0 lead.
Augusta evened the score in the sixth with a pair of unearned runs, but the Tigers quickly responded in the bottom half. Blevins delivered a run-scoring triple to right field, bringing home Hayes Alford to tie the game at 2–2.
The decisive run came in the seventh, as Robinson crossed the plate on a wild pitch to put West Alabama back in front for good. From there, Tyler Pierce shut the door on the Jaguars, striking out seven over three dominant innings of relief to earn the win.
Blake Westry turned in a strong start for the Tigers, tossing five scoreless innings with five strikeouts, while Pierce did not allow a run or a walk in his outing. Robinson scored twice in the game, and Wilson collected two hits and an RBI.
With the sweep, West Alabama continued its strong start to the invitational and will look to carry the momentum into the final day of action at Tartt Field against Augusta University at 12 PM.
