CARROLLTON, Ga. – The power in West Florida's lineup was on full display on Saturday, with the team totaling 17 extra-base hits, including four home runs, in two run-rule wins over West Georgia. The Argonauts have now won nine games in a row, dating back to the doubleheader against Barry on March 7.
 
UWF improved to 19-8 overall and 7-7 in the Gulf South Conference with the wins, and the team will go for the sweep tomorrow afternoon in Carrollton.
 
The Argonauts could do little wrong on Saturday, with seven batters slugging more than 1.000 and the team totaling nine multi-hit games between six different players. And as it has been during the nine-game winning streak, the pitching staff kept UWF in great position to take the win. Becca Taylor, Sarah Maloney and Taylor Rolison combined to throw 11 innings with a 1.91 team ERA.
 
As strong as the entire offense was, Rhiannon Sassman was the strongest. The Orlando, Florida, native went a combined 7-for-7 at the plate and reached on a hit by pitch in Game 1. She has now reached in 12 consecutive plate appearances, dating back to the Sunday series finale against No. 14 Alabama Huntsville.  
 
Game 1: West Florida 13, West Georgia 1
West Florida took no time getting off to a hot start on Saturday when Jacey Castro led off the game with a home run, the first of her four hits on the day. It was the first time UWF led off a game with a home run since Amber Ingram went yard to start a contest against Arkansas-Monticello on April 3, 2009.
 
Castro was far from the only Argo to have a strong day at the plate, going 4-4 with a double, the leadoff home run, two RBI and three runs. Rhiannon Sassman went 3-3 with a home run, a double, three RBI and three runs, Kathleen Smiley had three RBI and a double, and Tiona Hill hit two doubles in two trips to the plate, giving her a team-high eight two-baggers on the year.
 
Hill struck in the first with her first double, scoring Smiley and Sassman to put the score at 3-0. Rachel Wright brought in a run of her own later in the inning with a groundout to second base.
 
The second inning started with a leadoff single from Sara Spears and a double from Castro. The bases were loaded for Smiley after Sassman was hit by a pitch, and the West Florida High School product delivered with a double to put UWF up 6-0 after two.
 
Hill led off with a walk in the third, which was followed by a double from Wright and led to an RBI single from Steel. With the score at 7-0, Spears lifted a sac fly to score a run, and Castro made it 9-0 with an RBI single. That hit was Castro's third of the game, and the RBI was her sixth since last week, a total that ranks second on the team.
 
Sassman hit her third home run of the year to put the score at 10-0 in the fourth inning, and she struck again in the fifth with a double that scored Castro and Jacquelynne Poling, to put the score at 12-0. Through Game 1 of the series, Sassman led the team with four doubles, eight RBI and 19 total bases since the midweek doubleheader against Barry last week.
 
Smiley wrapped up the scoring for UWF with a single up the middle, giving her a third RBI in the game.
 
Becca Taylor picked up her 10th win of the season, going three scoreless innings and allowing just two hits and a walk. Freshman Taylor Rolison entered the game in relief and threw two innings with three strikeouts.
 
Game 2: West Florida 13, West Georgia 4
Hill started things in Game 2, with an RBI single up the middle to put the score at 1-0. Rachel Wright followed just a batter later with a grand slam to put the score at 5-0 after just an inning of play.
 
Wright's home run was her first of the season and the seventh of her career, and it continued her hot streak that started against Alabama Huntsville last weekend. In the last five games, Wright has seen her batting average jump 58 points and she has tallied seven RBI and three extra-base hits.
 
Smiley added another run with a double in the second inning, putting UWF ahead 6-1 before West Georgia scored twice in the second.
 
Caitlin Steel capitalized on Hill's leadoff double in the third with a triple down the right field line, and Spears brought in Steel just a batter later with a grounder up the middle. West Georgia jumped back and scored a run with a home run from Molly Uhrman in the fourth to make it 8-4, but starting pitcher Sarah Maloney bounced back with a 5-4-3 double play and a ground ball to Sassman to end the inning.
 
Rolison made another appearance, entering in the fifth and cruising through the UWG lineup to retire six of the seven batters she faced and earn her first career save.
 
Sassman hit her second home run of the day in the sixth, giving UWF a 10-4 lead. It was Sassman's fourth home run of the season and stretched her on-base streak to 12 consecutive plate appearances.
 
That wasn't all for UWF in the sixth, however. Miranda Smith, pinch-running for Smiley after a single, came around to score on a passed ball, Wright tallied her fifth RBI of the game with a single, and Steel brought in a run with a grounder through the left side to stretch the UWF lead to 12-4. Steel scored on a passed ball herself to give UWF the final 13-4 lead.
 
West Florida will wrap up the series tomorrow with a 1 pm ET start in Carrollton.