LIVINGSTON, Ala. — No. 5 West Alabama bounced back in a big way on Saturday, sweeping a doubleheader against No. 17 West Florida with 4-3 and 4-2 victories to secure the series win, 2-1, at Tartt Field.
After dropping the opener on Friday, the Tigers (31-9) responded with timely hitting and strong pitching performances across both games to take control of the weekend.
Game One: West Alabama 4, West Florida 3
West Alabama struck early and held on late in a tightly contested opener.
Rashad Robinson set the tone in the first inning with a solo home run to give the Tigers a 1-0 lead. UWA added another run in the second on an RBI groundout from Kyle Blevins, pushing the advantage to 2-0.
The Tigers extended the lead in the sixth when Hudson Walburn launched a solo home run to left, making it 3-0. Walburn added insurance in the eighth with his second homer of the game, a key blast that proved to be the difference.
West Florida mounted a late push, scoring once in the seventh and cutting the deficit to one in the ninth on a two-run homer by Peyton Martin. However, Tyler Pierce came on to close the door, earning his fifth save of the season.
Blake Westry (7-1) got the start and was dominant, tossing five scoreless innings while allowing just five hits. Thomas Kerby worked through the middle innings before Pierce secured the final three outs.
Walburn finished 2-for-4 with two home runs and two RBIs, while Robinson added his solo shot and Nick Wilson and Austin Thacker each contributed two hits.
Game Two: West Alabama 4, West Florida 2
The Tigers carried their momentum into game two, using a balanced offensive effort and strong bullpen work to complete the sweep.
West Alabama jumped ahead in the second inning as Kyle Blevins delivered a two-RBI single to score Aaron Wallace and Diego Bryant for a 2-0 lead.
West Florida answered with runs in the third and fourth, tying the game at 2-2, but the Tigers responded in the fifth. Walburn came through again with an RBI single, and Nick Wilson followed with a sacrifice bunt to bring home another run, giving UWA a 4-2 advantage.
That was all the support the pitching staff needed.
Colin Woodham started and allowed two runs over four innings before Nolan Phillips (2-0) took over and shut down the Argonauts across two scoreless frames. Pierce returned in the seventh to record his second save of the day and sixth of the season, striking out two to seal the win.
Blevins led the offense with two RBIs, while Walburn continued his strong day at the plate with another RBI. Robinson, Wallace, and Bryant each added hits in the victory.
With the doubleheader sweep, West Alabama claims the series over a top-20 opponent and builds momentum heading into the next stretch of Gulf South Conference play, where they go on the road to take on Lee University on Friday, April 17th at 5 PM.
