PENSACOLA, Fla. – The University of West Florida softball team took a 6-1 win against Union on Sunday to improve to 11-8 on the year and 4-4 in the Gulf South Conference. UWF was led by Sarah Maloney in the circle and Callan Taylor at the dish in the series finale, with Maloney recording her fourth win of the season in a complete-game effort.
 
Maloney shined on Sunday, throwing the full seven innings and striking out seven, while allowing just one hit. Union batters hit just .048 in the game, and she now ranks sixth in the GSC with a 1.35 ERA and fifth in strikeouts with 37.
 
After walking leadoff hitter Sarah Smith in the first, Maloney retired the next six batters she faced, and after allowing her only run and hit of the afternoon in the third inning, did not allow a baserunner in the final four innings of the game. The senior was dominant from the start, striking out 5 of the first 10 batters she saw, and her performance pushed her into the team lead in ERA, complete games (3), wins (4), innings pitched (41.1), strikeouts (37) and opponent batting average (.221).
 
It was another strong day offensively for UWF, as Taylor and Rachel Wright each had multi-hit games, and Wright added two runs scored twice, as well. Wright, Kathleen Smiley, and Ashley McNally each pitched in with doubles.
 
After Union got out to a 1-0 lead in the top of the third, it was Wright's leadoff double that got the West Florida rally started. Just two batters after Wright reached, Meghan Toney hit a single up the middle that bounced off UU pitcher Gabby Morris' glove, and Wright hustled around third to score when Union shortstop Sarah Smith tried to make the throw to first.
 
With the score then tied 1-1, Rhiannon Sassman and Smiley drew back-to-back walks and Taylor drove a single up the middle to score Sassman and Toney, giving UWF a 3-1 lead going into the fourth inning.
 
Maloney continued to cruise through the Union lineup, and West Florida provided her three insurance runs in the sixth to take the final 6-1 lead.
 
Taylor singled with one out in the sixth and pinch-runner Sara Spears came around to score on a pinch-hit, two-out double from McNally to make it 4-1. The fourth and fifth runs of the day came with the next two batters, on a second double from Wright that brought in McNally and a pinch-hit single from Kara Wilson that scored Wright.
 
West Florida hit .405 and slugged .679, with 8 doubles, 3 triples, 3 home runs and an average of 7.6 runs per game in the series. Taylor and Meghan Toney each had a team-high four hits, with Taylor's .571 average over three games leading West Florida.
 
The UWF pitching staff recorded a 2.80 ERA over 20 innings, striking out 18 and holding Union to a .240 batting average.
 
UWF will head to Spring Hill on Wednesday for a doubleheader that begins at 1 pm.