LIVINGSTON, Ala. – The University of West Florida softball team put on an offensive clinic in a doubleheader against West Alabama on Saturday afternoon, with a 13-1 six-inning win in Game 1 and taking Game 2 in five innings with a 12-2 score. The doubleheader sweep extended UWF's winning streak to 22 games, which is the third-longest winning streak in UWF history and the second-longest active streak in Division II behind Colorado Mesa's 25-game run.
 
UWF now stands at 32-8 on the yyear and 16-7 in the Gulf South Conference. Following all the Saturday action in the Gulf South Conference, UWF stands in second place in the league, just a game behind Alabama Huntsville. The Argonauts' 32 wins on the year are the most among GSC teams. This is UWF's best record through 40 games since 2009, when those Argonauts matched this year's 32-8 record.
 
Jacey Castro and Baleigh Boltz led the Argonauts offensively with four hits and two home runs each and seven combined runs scored on the day, and Boltz drove in seven runs in Game 2. The UWF pitching staff stayed hot as well, allowing just three runs and four hits in the doubleheader.
 
Game 2 for Boltz was one of the best single-day performances in recent UWF history. It marked the first multi-homer game for a UWF player since Rachel Wright hit two in the Gulf South Conference Tournament against Shorter on April 30 last year, and it was the first seven-RBI game for a UWF batter since Jillian LaFrance had seven against Miles on February 27, 2010. Her day also marked the first time one player had eight RBI in a doubleheader since Crystal Thompson did so on February 11, 2011 against Saint Leo.
 
GAME 1: UWF 13, UWA 1
UWA struck first, with a first-inning single from Brianna Buie to score Audrey Diekmann, but Becca Taylor quickly got into a groove and breezed through the West Alabama order the rest of the way.
 
UWF took little time getting ahead in the second inning, with Jacey Castro blasting the first of her two home runs on the day to score herself, Caitlin Steel and Sara Spears to give UWF a 3-1 lead. Castro has been on an impressive run during West Florida's 22-game winning streak, as she leads the team in runs scored (21), hits (35), doubles (8), home runs (5), total bases (58) and on-base percentage (.517).
 
Taylor got into a groove once UWF took the lead, retiring eight consecutive batters from the end of the first inning through the third, striking out four batters and getting four groundouts in that stretch. On the way to earning her GSC-best 18th win of the year, Taylor threw six innings of one-hit ball while striking out six batters. Taylor's season ERA dropped to 2.04, her opponent batting average lowered to .222 and she now has 90 strikeouts on the year, all of which rank in the top six in the GSC.
 
The three runs would prove to be more than enough for Taylor, but the Argonaut bats could not be slowed down. Rachel Wright hit a long fly ball to left field that was misplayed, putting Wright on third and scoring Tiona Hill. Just a batter later, Steel sent what would be a sacrifice fly to center field to score Wright and give UWF a 5-1 lead.
 
It was a similar story in the fifth, when Spears drove a liner into left and brought in Wright and Steel again, putting West Florida ahead 7-1. UWF put six runs on the board in the sixth inning, starting with a walk from Rhiannon Sassman.
 
Freshman Jacquelynne Poling hit the first of three UWF doubles in the sixth to bring in Sassman, and she was followed by Boltz and Wright. With Wright on second, Steel hit the first home run of her career with a line drive down the left field line.
 
Like Castro, Steel's performance has been turned up during UWF's winning streak. She has hit .420 and slugged .600 over the last 22 games, with 15 runs scored.
 
In a pinch-hit effort, Kara Wilson singled and advanced to second base on a passed ball, before an RBI single from Meghan Toney brought her in and capped off the scoring to give UWF the final 13-1 lead.
 
GAME 2: UWF 12, UWA 2
Baleigh Boltz had one of the strongest performances in recent history in Game 2 of Saturday's doubleheader, going 3-3 with two home runs and seven RBI in win for UWF. The Argonauts wasted no time in the second half of the doubleheader, putting five runs on the board in the first inning.
 
It began with Castro being hit by a pitch, Toney recording a single and Callan Taylor drawing a walk, before Hill drove two runs in with a single into center field. Boltz then picked up her first RBI of the game, singling to center field to score Taylor. Poling continued the rally with her own single up the middle and stole second base, allowing Boltz to come home on the throw.
 
UWA looked to be threatening in the bottom half of the inning, drawing two quick walks to start things off, but UWF starter Sarah Maloney turned things around, struck out the next two batters she saw and forced a weak popup to Sassman to get out of the inning with no damage done.
 
West Florida added to its 5-0 lead in the fifth, with Boltz's first home run of the afternoon to bring in Callan Taylor and Hill. UWA scored two in the third, but Maloney limited the damage and was in line for her 10th win of the season after three frames.
 
The junior's day ended after the third, as Maloney allowed just three hits and struck out two in her three innings. Freshman Taylor Rolison entered in the fourth, throwing two hitless innings and striking out two batters. Maloney and Rolison have been two of the toughest pitchers in the GSC to square up this year. Maloney leads the league in hits allowed per seven innings (5.0) and is third in opponent batting average (.206), while Rolison ranks second (5.1) and first (.202) in those same categories.
 
Castro led off the fourth inning with a solo shot, her second of the doubleheader, and Boltz followed just a few batters later with her second home run of the game – another three-run shot in nearly the exact spot as her first.
 
Rolison blew through the final inning, getting a flyout to right, a groundout to Castro at first, and a strikeout to end it.
 
UWF will go for the sweep on Sunday at 1 pm.