February 13, 2016 CLEVELAND, Tenn. – The University of West Florida softball team improved its record to 8-3 on the season with a Saturday win over Lee in Cleveland, Tennessee.
Becca Taylor went the distance for UWF in the circle, while
Rhiannon Sassman led the Argonauts offensively with two hits, a home run, two runs scored and three RBI.
West Florida got out to a quick 4-0 lead in the first inning, starting with a
Rachel Wright single to lead things off.
Kathleen Smiley drove in Wright just two batters later with a single, and Sassman stretched the lead to four runs with her home run immediately afterward.
Taylor and the UWF defense held Lee scoreless for four innings, and she allowed just one extra base hit on the day. Taylor finished the afternoon allowing just one walk and striking out four of the Lady Flames. She also induced groundballs against 11 of the 33 batters she faced.
Each team put up runs in the fifth inning, as UWF stretched the lead to 6-0. Smiley led off by reaching via error, and
Kayla Rosario pinch ran for Smiley at first. After advancing to second on a wild pitch, Rosario moved to third on a Sassman single, and
Emily Pettigrew drove in the run a batter later.
Jessica Wilkinson followed that with a grounder to second that brought Sassman into score.
Lee scored three times in the home half of the fifth, starting with three consecutive hits. Lexie Dean's lone hit of the day was a double to left-center field that scored two Lee runners, and Emily Dagnan brought in one with a single up the middle. Taylor forced Hallie Davis to foul out and got Courtney Crawford to ground out to third, ending the scoring threat and the inning.
Taylor forced groundouts in the sixth inning to escape any danger, and forced a groundout with one out and a popout to third base to end the seventh inning and the game.
UWF will be back in action on Wednesday with a doubleheader against Spring Hill in Mobile, Alabama, before heading to Clinton, Mississippi, for a weekend series against Mississippi College. The Spring Hill games are expected to start at noon and 2 p.m.
For information on all UWF athletics, visit
www.GoArgos.com.
