MONTGOMERY, Ala. – The University of West Florida softball team improved to 14-1 on the year and 4-0 in the Gulf South Conference with a 5-0 shutout against Auburn Montgomery on Friday. The Argonauts were led by Grace Gilbert, who threw her second shutout of the season with a seven-inning outing in which she allowed just three hits. 

West Florida now has a 10-game winning streak, dating back to February 8 when the team split against Florida Tech and Saint Leo. It is the program's longest winning streak since 2017, when UWF won 23 in a row from March 7 through April 9 that season.

The UWF offense took a while to get going, but Gilbert stood strong in the circle and worked around a handful of baserunners in the first few innings with some good pitching and a little help from the Argonaut defense. 

Jacquelynne Poling caught Jaycie Walker stealing in the first to stop an early potential rally, and Gilbert forced three consecutive groundouts – including a stellar play by shortstop Mika Garcia – to keep AUM off the scoreboard in the second. Gilbert forced five consecutive groundouts from there and then got an inning-ending 4-3 double play to end the fifth.

The offense broke open in the sixth, getting a leadoff double from Rachel Wright and a bunt single from Teala Howard before Rhiannon Sassman belted a single into right-center to score both runners and give UWF a 2-0 lead. 

Kathleen Smiley, Callan Taylor, Courtney McLellan, and Gilbert each added doubles in the inning, as well, giving UWF five runs on seven hits in the sixth. 

AUM responded with a leadoff single in the sixth from Olivia Aycock, but Gilbert extinguished the threat with a flyout to right, a groundout, and a strikeout. AUM added a single in the seventh but would not come around, giving Gilbert and the Argonauts finished with the contest with their fourth shutout of the season. 

The win lowered West Florida's season ERA to 1.39 and gave Gilbert her fifth win of the year – a total good for the second-most in the GSC. 

UWF will wrap up the series with AUM on Saturday with a doubleheader scheduled for first pitch at noon.