JACKSON, Tenn. – The top-ranked University of West Florida softball team improved to 34-5 overall and 17-2 in the Gulf South Conference with a win over Union on Friday afternoon. The Argonauts now lead the GSC standings by 2.5 games, ahead of Alabama Huntsville at 14-4.
 
Grace Gilbert went the distance in the circle on the way to earning her GSC-best 15th win of the season. The Chipley, Florida, native allowed just three hits and struck out three in the 5-3 win, tossing her 10th complete game.
 
The scoring started with a leadoff home run in the third inning from Courtney McLellan to dead center field, her second round-tripper of the season. Twelve of the sophomore's 24 hits this season have gone for extra bases, and Friday marked her sixth multi-hit game of the year.
 
Union would respond with three runs in the bottom half of the inning, however, getting a bases-clearing double from Haley Barnette after Gilbert and the Argonauts held off the threat with back-to-back ground balls and plays at the plate. The Lady Bulldogs could hold on to the lead for only that half-inning, with UWF scoring two in the fourth.
 
Those two runs started with bunt singles from Teala Howard and Rhiannon Sassman to lead off the inning, and the pair came across to score on a grounder from Jacquelynne Poling and a single through the left side from Callan Taylor.
 
With the game tied, Gilbert settled in and retired 10 in a row beginning at the end of the third. She had no trouble with the heart of Union's order in the sixth, getting three consecutive groundouts. Gilbert held the GSC leaders in slugging and home runs (Haley Barnette) and hits, RBIs, and doubles (Kaitlyn Kelley) to just 1-6 on the day.
 
West Florida jumped ahead again in the fifth with a single from Kathleen Smiley that scored Teala Howard, who singled and stole second earlier in the inning. It was Smiley's ninth RBI in her last eight games and she is hitting .591 (13-22) in that time.
 
Gilbert helped herself out in the seventh with an RBI single to left center that brought in pinch-runner Sara Spears, giving UWF a 5-3 cushion heading into the last inning.
 
Though Gilbert issued a leadoff walk in the seventh, she had little trouble the rest of the way. The sophomore retired the next three batters she faced, finishing the day by sitting down 13 of 14 from the end of the third inning through the end of the game.
 
West Florida got multi-hit days from Howard and McLellan, giving Howard a team-leading 19 for the year.
 
UWF will wrap up the series on Saturday with a doubleheader scheduled to begin at noon.