CLEVELAND, Tenn. – The No. 14 University of West Florida softball team split a doubleheader with Lee on Sunday afternoon, taking the first game 6-2 before falling 8-1 in Game 2. UWF now stands at 22-13 overall with a 13-9 Gulf South Conference record, which puts the team at fifth in the league standings.
 
West Florida got strong pitching performances from Grace Gilbert's start in Game 1 and Sarah Maloney's relief effort in Game 2 of the doubleheader, as the duo combined to throw 11.2 innings and allow just one earned run – good for a 0.63 ERA. Gilbert and Maloney also combined to strike out 11 batters and allow just eight hits.
 
Offensively, Kathleen Smiley led the team with a .667 on-base percentage for the day, reaching by a walk four times in the doubleheader. She led UWF in batting (.400), slugging (1.000), walks (5) and on-base percentage (.700) for the weekend, as well.
 
Rachel Wright led the team with a .429 batting average, three hits, and a .571 slugging percentage for the doubleheader, while she, Meghan Toney and Callan Taylor each had a .429 on-base percentage on Sunday.
 
Game 1: UWF 6, Lee 2
West Florida never trailed in the first half of the doubleheader, scoring twice against Lee starter Erika Greek in the first with a Callan Taylor double to center field and a Tiona Hill single up the middle. Meghan Toney lifted a single to left field to score Rachel Wright in the second and stretch UWF's lead to 3-0, and that was all the offense Argonaut starter Grace Gilbert would need.
 
The freshman threw her fourth complete game of the season and improved to 8-2 on the year after allowing just one earned run and striking out six over her seven innings in the circle. None of the Lady Flames recorded multiple hits against Gilbert in the game, and she lowered her season ERA to a team-best 2.16 that ranks sixth in the Gulf South Conference.
 
The Lady Flames threatened in the first and loaded the bases, but Tiona Hill made the play at home on a Taylor Moran grounder, Gilbert struck out Bailey Church, and she forced a ground ball from Abby McKinney to end the inning in Lee's biggest threat of the day.
 
Lee scored a run in the second and another in the fourth to cut into UWF's lead, but the Argonauts grabbed three insurance runs in the sixth to cushion the lead and cruise to a win. Toney added another RBI single, this one going through the right side and scoring Wright, and West Florida cashed in on a Lee error on a grounder to second base from Kathleen Smiley, allowing Toney and Ally Merrill to score.
 
Toney and Wright each had a pair of hits, giving Toney a team-high 11 for the year and giving Wright 7. Each also had scored two runs, and Toney picked up her third multi-RBI game of the season.
 
Game 2: UWF 1, Lee 8
Lee used a six-run second inning to pick up the win in Game 2, scoring those on six hits in the inning.
 
Kara Wilson pitched in with a pinch-hit sacrifice fly following a hard grounder from Ally Merrill that allowed her to reach and a double to center field from Wright.
 
Sarah Maloney dominated in 4.2 innings of relief, allowing just one hit and one unearned run while striking out five. The effort lowered her season ERA to 2.20, good for seventh in the GSC.
 
Smiley drew three walks in three trips to the plate in Game 2, Taylor drew a walk and had a hit, and Wright doubled in the fifth.
 
UWF hosts Auburn Montgomery on April 14-15 for Military Appreciation Weekend.