BOX SCORE
POSTGAME PRESS CONFERENCE
 
SALEM, Va. – For the fourth time in the 2017 postseason, the University of West Florida softball team used a late-inning rally to take a win and keep its season alive. This time, it was a three-run inning, fueled by an RBI double from Callan Taylor and a two-run double from Caitlin Steel to push UWF over Southern Indiana 4-3.
 
"I'm proud of these guys for fighting through it," head coach Melissa Paul said. "We just kept doing what we had to do and came out on top. That's the great thing about this team, it's not just one or two people doing it, it's all up and down the lineup, whether it's the 1-hole or the 7- or 8-hole."
 
Meghan Toney led UWF offensively with two hits and reaching three times in all, and Rachel Wright also added two hits.
 
The evening started with a solid outing from senior starter Becca Taylor, who threw four innings and allowed just one earned run. Sarah Maloney entered the game in relief in the fifth, pitching the final three innings of the game and retiring eight of the 10 batters she faced on the way to her 15th win.
 
Again, the story for UWF was timely hitting and production from all spots in the lineup. West Florida got a go-ahead RBI in the third from Jacey Castro, who ripped a single into right center to score Rachel Wright after she led off the inning with a single. Wright was moved to second with a sacrifice bunt from Steel to put her in scoring position before Castro's single.
 
USI responded with a three-run fourth to pull ahead 3-1, but the Argonaut bats would not be held quiet for long. A little bad luck went UWF's way, as Steel lined out to first base in the fifth, and Rhiannon Sassman hit a line drive right to third baseman Mena Fulton, who made the throw to Marleah Fossett for the inning-ending double play.

The West Florida defense came up big again in the bottom of the fifth, following a pitching change that brought in Sarah Maloney. With shortstop Lexi Reese at second base, first baseman Marleah Fossett singled into left field and Baleigh Boltz delivered a strike to Steel at the plate to retire the runner and pick up her team-best fourth outfield assist of the season.
 
A major turning point in the game came later in that same inning, when the home plate umpire suffered an injury that led to a 24-minute delay. In the midst of the delay, both UWF and USI competed in a dance-off that seemed to lighten the mood on UWF's side.
 
After the dance-off, Tiona Hill picked up a one-out walk and Callan Taylor drove an RBI double to right center, scoring pinch-runner Miranda Smith to cut the USI lead to 3-2. Jibrasha Moore pinch-ran for Taylor at second and she advanced to on a Rachel Wright single to right field.
 
Steel delivered her game-winning double just a batter later, plating Wright and Moore to give UWF its final 4-3 lead.
 
"The (fifth inning) helped us loosen up a lot, and I know that helps me," Steel said. "Just going up there and knowing what I'm looking for, I just put the bat on the ball and it fell."
 
Maloney issued one of her most dominant innings of the season in the bottom of the seventh, retiring USI's top three hitters in order. Claire Johnson struck out looking, Reese popped out to Castro in foul territory, and Fossett hit a line drive to Meghan Toney, who made a jumping grab to end the grab at second base.
 
West Florida will face 4-seed West Virginia Wesleyan at 1:30 pm ET in Salem on Saturday, and a win in that game would put UWF in a game at 6:30 pm ET against Minnesota State.