PENSACOLA, Fla. – UWF baseball (3-6) snapped a three-game losing skid by downing Spring Hill College 8-3 Sunday at Jim Spooner Field. The eight runs were a season-high, as were the team's 16 hits. The contest was the final of the Argo Invitational. UWF and Spring Hill (2-7) will meet again Wednesday at 5:00 p.m.
"It was a disappointing weekend. Obviously it's good to finish here on Sunday with a W at The Spoon, and that's something we can build on going into this week," said UWF head coach Mike Jeffcoat.
Every spot in the order reached at least twice for the Argos. Matthew Jones became the first Argo to reach base five times this season, and Trevor Payne finished the day with four hits. UWF loaded the bases in five of eight turns at bat. The team also stranded a season-high 17 baserunners.
"The 16 hits were great, I think we've got to get more hits with runners in scoring position," said Jeffcoat. "We were spreading those hits out. We were getting those hits to load the bases. We left them loaded [too many times] and really could have opened that game up."
The Argo bats got going early vs. SHC starter and Pensacola native Luke Dykes. Mike Branche doubled to leadoff the second and came in later in the frame on an RBI groundout by Matthew Estrada. UWF finished with five doubles in the game.
UWF tagged Dykes (0-1) for four more runs in the third. Payne, Estrada, Jones and Brandon Harmon all picked up RBIs in the frame. Branche scored his second run of the game. UWF drove Dykes from the contest with the four-run, four-hit attack. The former Pensacola State College Pirate suffered the loss after allowing five runs (five earned) on seven hits.
Jared Middleton started the game for the Argos and went 4.2 innings, surrendering three runs (three earned) on four hits. The lefty struck out three and walked two. The Badgers tagged him for single runs in the third, fourth and fifth before he exited the game one out shy of win eligibility.
Whitt Davis (1-1) took over for Middleton in the fifth and turned in his best performance of the season. The righty transfer from East Mississippi CC twirled 3.1 innings of one-hit, no-run ball to earn his first win of the season. Davis allowed only one man to second base during his relief appearance. He struck out two and walked one. Fellow East Mississippi CC transfer Alex Knight finished the game with a 1-2-3 ninth.
"[Davis] came in there pounding strikes," said Jeffcoat. "He's got good velo, he's got a good, sharp breaking ball. It's just a matter of putting it in the zone. He did that tonight, had a lot of quick outs and we zipped through those last couple of innings to get it to Knight, who's been a bulldog for us all year long."
UWF added an insurance run in the fifth on the second of three RBIs in the game from Jones, who singled home Payne. He got back in the RBI column in the eighth, singling home Jacob Silverstein. Estrada scored the final run of the game in the eighth on a double play turned by the Badger defense.
Payne, Jones, Branche and Bryant Harris Jr. all enjoyed multi-hit days for the Argos. Jones and Estrada combined to drive in five of the eight runs. The Argos benefited from eight walks and three hit-by-pitches by Badger pitching.
UWF will meet Spring Hill again on Wednesday at 5:00 p.m. before traveling to North Alabama for a three-game series starting Feb. 24 to open GSC play.
"We take it with a grain of salt in terms of the win today," said Jeffcoat. "We're just going to continue talking about the things we've got to do to get better, that we've got to clean up to play better baseball consistently."
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