February 20, 2016 CLINTON, Miss. –
Kathleen Smiley led all players with six hits and two home runs in the University of West Florida softball team's sweep over Mississippi College on Saturday. The Pensacola native went back-to-back with freshman
Rhiannon Sassman in the third inning of Game 2 and totaled four RBI on the day.
After her six-hit day, Smiley jumped to the top of the UWF leaderboard with a .388 average, four home runs, .466 on-base percentage and 19 hits.
UWF pitching impressed as well, as the three-man staff of
Kalyn Chapman,
Sarah Maloney and
Becca Taylor allowed just five Mississippi College hits and three runs all day.
West Florida stands at 12-4 on the year with a 4-2 mark in the Gulf South Conference and a four-game win streak.
Game 1: UWF 4, MC 2Maloney got the start in the circle for Game 1 and went two hitless innings while striking out two. Chapman entered the game in relief in the third and struck out seven over the final five innings while giving up just two runs and two hits.
UWF didn't take long to get on the board, as
Emily Pettigrew led the second inning off with a single and scored just two batters later by taking off for home when
Chelsy Krantz stole second base.
MC struck back in the third and fourth to take a 2-1 lead into the fifth. Defensive miscues troubled UWF in those innings, as a fielding error allowed the first run to score, and the second came in on a wild pitch.
Smiley evened the score when she hit the first of her two home runs on the day and picked up her first RBI to lead off the sixth. Chapman held the Choctaws to just one hit over the last three innings, and shut Mississippi College down with a lead in the seventh.
With things tied in the seventh,
Rachel Wright led off with a single, moved to second on a
Meghan Toney bunt and reached third on a wild pitch.
Jacey Castro brought her in and reached with a fielder's choice to give UWF a 3-2 lead. The Argonauts added another insurance run when Castro scored on a throwing error by the MC second baseman.
Game 2: UWF 6, MC 1Becca Taylor went the full seven in Game 2 for her fifth complete game, lowering her ERA to 1.89 for the season and picking up her sixth win in the circle.
UWF struck first in the third inning when Smiley homered to bring in Toney after a one-out double. Sassman tacked on the third run of the inning with her third home run of the season, which ranks second on the team.
The fifth inning started in a similar way, when Toney doubled to left-center field, and Smiley brought her in just two batters later with a single. Before Smiley's single, Castro drew a walk and would later come around to score for the second run in the top half of the inning. Krantz drew a bases-loaded walk to tally another run in UWF's favor, and that brought the final score to 6-1.
UWF will face Columbus State in its home opener on Wednesday, February 24, with a doubleheader scheduled to begin at 3 p.m. The Argos will then host conference opponent Valdosta State over the weekend.
For information on all UWF athletics, visit
www.GoArgos.com.
