JACKSON, Tenn. –
Kalyn Chapman tossed six innings of a two-hit, 7-0 shutout victory against Union on Sunday afternoon to give the University of West Florida softball team a sweep over the Lady Bulldogs. UWF improves to 29-11 overall and 16-8 in the Gulf South Conference with the win and records its fourth weekend sweep of the season over a conference opponent.
The Argonauts are now winners of eight in a row and have moved up to fourth in the GSC standings – just a game behind No. 11 Alabama Huntsville and three games back of Delta State, which UWF will visit later this month.
In addition to throwing her six innings of one-hit ball, Chapman went 3-3 at the plate and, along with
Kathleen Smiley, drove in two runs. Chapman finished the day with two strikeouts and held Union hitless for the first five innings of the game.
Sarah Maloney came into close the game, allowing just one hit and striking out two in the final frame. The game was UWF's sixth shutout of the season.
Smiley's and Chapman's efforts in the batter's box marked the ninth multi-RBI game for each batter, which is a team high.
Rhiannon Sassman and
Caitlin Steel joined Smiley and Chapman with multiple hits. It was Sassman's team-best 13th multi-hit game and Steel's fourth.
West Florida did its offensive damage in the first and fourth innings of the game.
Meghan Toney reached on an error by the shortstop with one out in the top of the third, and Sassman followed her with a single. Smiley recorded the first of her two RBIs on the day with a single to score Toney, and
Jacey Castro's sacrifice fly one batter later brought in Sassman. It was Castro's seventh RBI of the weekend after a six-RBI game earlier in the series.
Reigning GSC Freshman of the Week
Rachel Wright followed with a single up the middle to score Smiley, who advanced to second on Castro's sac fly. Chapman wrapped up the scoring with a single to center field that brought in Wright.
Pettigrew led off the fourth inning with a single and Toney reached again on an error, and back-to-back singles from Sassman and Smiley brought the pair of runners in to put the score at 6-0. Chapman singled to center a few batters later to score Smiley and put the final at 7-0.
After stealing 11 bases as a team in yesterday's doubleheader,
Chelsy Krantz stole another today, her fifth of the weekend and her eighth of the year. The 12 steals over the weekend is a series-best for UWF this season. Defensively, UWF caught Union's lone base-stealer of the weekend. The battery for West Florida has been better than any other in the conference this year at catching runners, allowing just 32 steals on the year and catching more than 30 percent of runners, which rank second and first in the GSC.
Emily Pettigrew walked in the second inning to extend her on-base streak to 24 games, matching Karri Bisbee's mark from the 2011 season.
West Florida will face Spring Hill in a single game on Wednesday, April 6 at the UWF Softball Complex at 1 p.m.
For information on all UWF athletics, visit
www.GoArgos.com.
