CLEARWATER, Fla. – Pitching was the story on the first day of the NFCA Leadoff Classic, as the University of West Florida softball team split a pair of games against Sunshine State Conference competition. UWF is now 5-1 on the year and 2-0 against ranked opponents, after falling to Florida Tech and defeating No. 5 Saint Leo.
 
Grace Gilbert and Kelsey Sweatt combined for a 1.38 ERA against FIT and SLU, and the win over the Lions was the team's second this year.
 
Jacquelynne Poling had a pair of hits on the day, and Teala Howard stole three bases in as many tries. Gilbert and Sweatt held opponents to a .111 batting average on Friday, and West Florida will face California University of Pennsylvania and No. 18 Palm Beach Atlantic on Saturday, at 4:30 p.m. ET and 6:30 p.m. ET, respectively.
 
Game 1: UWF 0, Florida Tech 1
The first game of the weekend was a classic pitcher's duel, with Grace Gilbert and Florida Tech's Melanie Murphy allowing a combined four hits and one earned run. Gilbert was charged with the loss – her first of the year – despite allowing only two hits and striking out four. The one mark against her was a home run off the bat of Shanysse Emerenciana in the third inning.
 
Murphy was just as impressive for the Panthers, as she also allowed two hits before Tina Velazquez finished off the seventh with a pair of groundouts to earn the save.
 
Both teams had only a handful of opportunities to score, with UWF's best chance coming in the first. With one out in the inning, Teala Howard drew a walk and stole second before Rhiannon Sassman was hit by a pitch to put on a pair of runners. FIT took advantage by inducing a Kathleen Smiley fly ball and getting a groundout to end the threat.
 
Gilbert was sharp from the start, retiring the first seven batters she faced before allowing the solo shot that turned out to be the game-winner. She didn't slow down after that, and sat down 10 of the next 11 batters that came up.
 
UWF had a final chance in the seventh, starting with a leadoff pinch-hit single by Ally Merrill. After Gilbert laid down a sacrifice bunt to put pinch-runner Sara Spears in scoring position, FIT escaped the jam with a groundout and a flyout to end the game.
 
Jacquelynne Poling, Merrill, and Mika Garcia each had a hit in the game, and Teala Howard and Kathleen Smiley each drew a walk.
 
Game 2: UWF 3, No. 5 Saint Leo 2
Kelsey Sweatt earned her first win of the season with a complete-game effort over No. 5 Saint Leo in the nightcap, allowing just three hits and striking out five. The sophomore allowed two runs – only one of which was earned – to put her season ERA 0.40 over 17.2 innings of work.
 
The win came late for West Florida, as Callan Taylor hit an RBI pinch-hit, two-out single into right field to put UWF ahead for the first time since the third inning. That single scored Jibrasha Moore, who went 1-3 on the day and started the rally with a two-out single down the left field line.
 
West Florida tallied five hits and drew a pair of walks against Auria Mounts over seven innings. Mounts fell to 3-2 on the year with the loss.
 
West Florida jumped ahead early with a run in the first inning, with Howard scoring when Saint Leo first baseman Kendyl Crean dropped a throw and allowed Smiley to reach. In the third, West Florida stretched the lead to 2-0 when Howard scored on a wild pitch immediately after Sassman drew a walk.
 
But Saint Leo would not go away easily – the Lions added RBI singles in the third and fifth innings to tie things up. After that final SLU RBI single, Sweatt retired the final seven batters she faced to earn the victory.