HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – One of the top offenses in the country proved to be a bit too much for the University of West Florida softball team on Saturday afternoon, as No. 1 UWF dropped a pair of games against No. 18 Alabama Huntsville. Despite the losses, UWF still leads the Gulf South Conference standings at 22-4, holding a three-game lead over UAH with three games remaining in the regular season.
 
The Saturday doubleheader wrapped up the rain-shortened series, which was originally scheduled to begin Friday. West Florida is now 39-7 on the season.
 
Seniors Rhiannon Sassman and Rachel Wright threw together multi-hit games in Game 1, and fellow senior Kathleen Smiley reached twice – via a hit and a walk – in Game 2.
 
GAME 1: UWF 2, UAH 10 (5 innings)
The first four innings of the doubleheader went back and forth, with UAH taking a one-run lead three times in the first four frames and UWF making it a tie game twice. The Chargers then scratched across four runs in the fifth and three more in the sixth to take the win.
 
Sassman's second hit of the game was an RBI double to right center that scored Wright and evened the score, and Wright singled in the fourth to tie things up again. The pair of seniors are second and third on the team with 19 and 11 multi-hit games, respectively.
 
GSC wins leader Grace Gilbert was charged with 7 runs over 4.2 innings, and Tori Perkins was charged with three runs in an inning of relief. Gilbert dropped to 16-3 on the year but still leads the conference in wins.
 
GAME 2: UWF 1, UAH 9 (5 innings)
The Argonauts struggled to find an answer against UAH starter Layton Murphy, tallying just three hits over 3.2 innings against her and adding one more in the final 2.1 innings against GSC saves leader Sydnee Uhlman.
 
Game 2 was a slightly different story, as UAH got ahead 4-0 in the second inning. West Florida fought to get back into things in a few innings but struggled to do so.

The Argonauts left three runners on base in a 4-1 game in the fourth, after Ashley McNally was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to score the team's first run of the game. Kathleen Smiley and Ally Merrill started a two-out rally the following inning, drawing a walk and doubling down the left field line, but it was cut short before UWF could score.
 
Kelsey Sweatt dropped to 14-2 on the year, but is still second in the GSC in opponent batting average (.177), third in wins (14), and fourth in ERA (1.85).
 
UWF will visit Tallahassee for a neutral-site, nonconference doubleheader against Florida Southern on Thursday before hosting West Alabama over next weekend.