MONTGOMERY, Ala. – The University of West Florida softball team fell in a doubleheader sweep to nonconference opponent Auburn Montgomery on the road on Tuesday afternoon. The Argonauts now stand at 33-10 on the year.
 
UWF had a handful of offensive leaders in the doubleheader, as Meghan Toney, Callan Taylor and Callan Taylor each had three hits, and Rhiannon Sassman reached base in seven of her eight trips to the plate, with two hits, four walks and a time hit by pitch. Toney also had three stolen bases in as many tries, giving her 20 steals this season.
 
Game 1: UWF 2, AUM 5
West Florida's winning streak came to a close in Game 1, as the Argonauts fell 5-2 on the road. The scoring started quickly for each team before everyone traded zeroes until the fifth inning and AUM was able to pull away.
 
UWF kicked things off with a Meghan Toney single and stolen base, on which she advanced to third on a wild throw. After Rhiannon Sassman walked, Callan Taylor came through with a hard ground ball through the right side to score Toney and put UWF ahead 1-0. The inning came to an unlucky, abrupt end just a batter later, when Tiona Hill hit a hard line drive right at AUM second baseman Parker Pinholster who was able to turn a double play.
 
West Florida starter Becca Taylor cruised through the first inning, striking out two Warhawks hitters and passing the 100 strikeout mark for the first time in her career.
 
Auburn Montgomery had a little more fortune than UWF in stringing hits together, as Christy Hendrix singled and Kaylin Finch hit a two-run home run to take a 2-1 lead after two innings. Taylor quickly got into a rhythm after the home run, however, and retired eight of the next batters she saw.
 
UWF's luck turned around in the fifth, starting with a single up the middle from Rachel Ragland and back-to-back bunt singles from Pinholster and Rose Schmidt. The Warhawks extended their lead to 5-1 in the inning, with a sacrifice fly from Jaycie Walker and a Kalee Sparks single that scored two runs.
 
It looked like West Florida could mount a comeback in the sixth, after Tiona Hill reached on an error with one away and Baleigh Boltz and Rachel Wright each drew walks to load the bases. AUM catcher Sarah Angulo made a wild throw to help UWF cut the deficit to 5-2, but Sparks was able to nab a deep fly ball to left field from Kara Wilson to end the threat.
 
Taylor was finished after five innings, and she ended the day with four strikeouts and eight hits allowed. Taylor Rolison entered in relief of Taylor and looked sharp in her inning of work. After Finch led off the sixth with a single, Jacquelynne Poling gunned her out at second and Rolison got a groundout and strikeout to end the inning.
 
Despite a strong seventh-inning effort from the Argonauts, UWF came up short in the final frame. Callan Taylor finished the day as the only Argonaut with two hits, marking her eighth multi-hit game of the year.
 
Game 2: UWF 4, AUM 8
The bats started off hot in Game 2, with four consecutive Argonaut singles to start a four-run rally in the first. Jacey Castro and Toney each started with a hit, and Sassman and Callan Taylor each drove a run in to put West Florida ahead 2-0 early on.
 
Just two batters later, Wright and Jacquelynne Poling tallied back-to-back singles through the right side to wrap up the scoring in the first.
 
The AUM lineup would not be silenced in Game 2, though, with Finch starting the second inning off with a double, Sydney Dishman following with a single, and a Sarah Angulo sacrifice bunt to scratch across the first of eight unanswered runs.
 
Auburn Montgomery would put at least one run on the board in the team's final five trips to the plate, ending things with a home run from Chanel Newcomer in the sixth to stretch the lead to 8-4.
 
UWF will host Delta State at the UWF Softball Complex for a three-game Gulf South Conference series on Friday and Saturday.