TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The University of West Florida softball team hit 40 wins for the third time in four years with a split doubleheader against Florida Southern in Tallahassee on Thursday afternoon. A pair of one-run games, UWF (40-8) fell to FSC 4-3 in Game 1 before taking an extra-inning 1-0 win in the second game.
 
Grace Gilbert and Kelsey Sweatt combined to allow just one earned run between the two games, and Sweatt earned her 15th win of the season in Game 2. Her performance put the sophomore in first among Gulf South Conference pitchers in opponent batting average (.170), second in ERA (1.71), and third in victories (15).
 
GAME 1: UWF 3, FSC 4
West Florida got ahead 1-0 in the third, but a four-run bottom half of the inning from Florida Southern proved to be a little too much for the Argonauts on Thursday.
 
That inning spoiled an otherwise strong pitching line from Gilbert, who threw her 11th complete game of the season. The Chipley, Florida, native threw six innings and allowed four runs – only one of which was earned – while striking out four and walking just one batter.  
 
Gilbert also retired 10 of the final 11 batters she faced, from the bottom of the third through the end of the game.
 
Rhiannon Sassman scored UWF's first run after she singled to lead off the inning, stole second, and scored when Ally Merrill reached on an FSC error.
 
Following the four-spot from Florida Southern in the third, UWF bounced back with two more of its own in the fourth. It started with a Grace Gilbert walk to start the inning, and Rachel Wright's single put her in scoring position. Ashley McNally then put together a 10-pitch at-bat that resulted in a walk to load the bases before a sacrifice fly from Mika Garcia brought in a run.
 
Two batters later, Howard singled to left and brought in Wright, cutting the deficit to 4-3. From there, FSC reliever Kelli Gault allowed just two hits to West Florida and UWF could not take a lead.
 
GAME 2: UWF 1, FSC 0 (9 innings)
Kelsey Sweatt turned in one of her best outings of the season in the second half of the doubleheader, tallying nine strikeouts and allowing only two hits across nine innings of work. It was Sweatt's 12th complete game, 15th win, and second complete shutout of the season.
 
The sophomore has now allowed 0 or 1 earned runs in 16 of her 21 appearances this season.
 
While the pitchers traded zeroes for eight innings, West Florida put together a couple more opportunities than FSC did. The Argonauts led off the fifth and sixth innings with base hits – including a double from Mika Garcia in the sixth – but despite good at-bats and solid contact following those hits, UWF could not scratch across a run.
 
In the ninth, Teala Howard led off with a single, stole second, and advanced to third on a fly ball from Rhiannon Sassman, before she scored the game-winning run on a wild pitch.
 
The Mocs' only real threat came in the eighth, when Alex Mace singled and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt with one out. Sweatt ended the threat a batter later by striking out Meghan Sexton.
 
Garcia and Callan Taylor each had two hits in the game, marking their seventh and fifth such games this season.
 
UWF will host West Alabama in the last regular-season series of the year on Friday and Saturday at the UWF Softball Complex.