FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Dominant pitching and clutch plate appearances helped No. 3 West Florida to a pair of wins over Nova Southeastern on Friday night on the road. Winning 2-1 in the first game and 5-0 in the backend of the doubleheader, UWF improved to 5-4 on the year and Nova Southeastern now stands at 2-6.
 
The first game was marked by an incredible performance in the circle by senior Sarah Maloney, who struck out 15 batters and allowed four hits. Her performance was followed by a great showing by Tori Perkins in Game 2, and she shared the limelight with freshman Mika Garcia, who tagged NSU for three hits in the second half of the doubleheader – her first career start.
 
It would be tough to beat the timely hitting West Florida showed on Friday evening. UWF hit .360 with runners on base, .353 with runners in scoring position and .333 with two outs, while scoring all seven of its runs with two outs. The pitching staff did its part to limit any clutch hitting from NSU, holding batters to a .167 average with any runners on and an incredible .071 mark with runners in scoring position.
 
Game 1: UWF 2, Nova Southeastern 1
Sarah Maloney was as dominant as ever on Friday afternoon, with a career-high 15 strikeouts against the Sharks. Her previous career-high was 11, which she recorded last year against Nova Southeastern on March 8. Maloney allowed just four hits and walked only one batter, and she struck out at least two batters in six of the seven innings she pitched.
 
The senior earned her second win of the year (2-1), and her 15 strikeouts on Friday gave her a 1.18 ERA for the season and more strikeouts than innings pitched. The West Florida lineup totaled a season-high nine hits in Game 1, and five of those nine hits came in the 4th and 7th innings, when UWF scored its two runs.
 
Maloney could not have been better in her first few innings, striking out three of the first four batters she faced, striking out seven batters total in the first three frames and not allowing a hit until the 4th. Maloney worked out of a bit of a jam in the 4th, after Lexie Storrer singled to lead off the inning and Kayla Kight reached on a fielder's choice. With a pair of runners on and nobody out, Maloney struck out Keeley Mayers, forced a groundout from Daniela Bautista, and struck out Mayte Lezcano to end the inning.
 
By the 4th inning, Maloney was working with a 1-0 lead. Rhiannon Sassman led off the inning with a single and advanced to second base on an error from center fielder Dana Edmundson. Just two batters later, Tori Perkins singled up the middle past a diving Bautista and Sassman came around to give UWF a 1-0 lead.
 
UWF and Nova Southeastern traded zeroes for the next two innings, before the Argonauts got a crucial insurance run in the top of the 7th. After singles from Ally Merrill, Jibrasha Moore and Rachel Wright loaded the bases, Sassman drew a walk that scored Merrill to put West Florida ahead 2-0.
 
Nova Southeastern scratched back and scored a run in the seventh, with a pair of singles and a mishandled, tricky hop on the UWF infield. Maloney tallied her 15th strikeout of the afternoon with a swing and miss from Storrer to end the game.
 
Sassman, Perkins and Moore each had two hits in the win, and it was Sassman's third multi-hit game of the young season. Maloney finished with four hits, one walk and one unearned run allowed.
 
Lexie Storrer went the distance in the circle for Nova Southeastern, and had thrown all 49 innings this season for NSU until Game 2 began. She struck out five and walked just one UWF batter, while allowing nine hits. Daniela Bautista was the only starter for NSU who did not strike out against Maloney in Game 1.
 
Game 2: UWF 5, Nova Southeastern 0
Mika Garcia was a game-changer in her first career start. The freshman had three hits, an RBI, a run scored, and a stolen base in the victory over Nova Southeastern in Game 2.
 
Starting pitcher Tori Perkins finished the night with her best start in the Blue and Green. She went six innings and struck out five Sharks batters, earning her first win of the year and improving her ERA to 2.43 for the season. Gracie Gilbert wrapped up the 7th inning for UWF and allowed just one hit.
 
Perkins worked out of a jam in the third, getting a swinging strikeout from Daniela Bautista on a 3-2 count with the bases loaded and two away to end the inning.
 
The junior pitcher started a two-out rally in the next half-inning when she hit a sharp grounder to Lezcano at shortstop that was bobbled. Merrill drove a double through the right side on the next pitch to score Perkins, and Merrill stole third on a ball in the dirt. Jacquelynne Poling then delivered a two-out single into right-center field to score Merrill and give West Florida the 2-0 advantage.
 
Meghan Toney extended the UWF lead to 3-0 with a single up the middle to score Mika Garcia, who had a pair of hits in her first career start. Garcia led off the inning with a single and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt from Rachel Wright before Toney brought her in.
 
Gilbert and Garcia each had RBI singles in the sixth inning, giving UWF a comfortable 5-0 lead. That would be Garcia's third hit of the night, and Gilbert would come around to score.
 
West Florida will travel to Miami Shores, Florida, on Saturday for a doubleheader at Barry that is set to begin at noon ET.