TOURNAMENT HOMEPAGE
UPDATED BRACKET
 
DENVER, Colo. – West Florida's pitching held one of the top offensive teams in the country in check during Friday's 4-2 loss against 3-seed Augustana at the NCAA Championship, but the Argonauts fell just short in a comeback effort.
 
With the loss, UWF will now play the winner of LIU Post or Grand Valley State at 11 a.m. MT/Noon CT on Saturday, May 25. A win in that game would continue West Florida's season, and the Argonauts would then play Texas A&M-Kingsville at 4 p.m. MT/5 p.m. CT on Saturday.
 
AU, which entered the game ranking third in Division II in batting, home runs, and slugging, was held to just six hits against Kelsey Sweatt and Grace Gilbert. Unfortunately, those four runs would be enough for Augustana pitcher Ashley Mickschl, who improved to 29-5.
 
West Florida bounced back from an early 2-0 deficit after an Augustana home run in the second. UWF's first run came on a Rhiannon Sassman ground ball, when the Vikings tried to get Teala Howard at third on the play, resulting in a wide throw.
 
Senior Kathleen Smiley evened the score at 2-2 with a double just two batters later, poking a fly ball into left-center field to score Sassman.
 
AU picked up a run in the fourth and another in the fifth to pull away, scoring one on a passed ball and another on an RBI single.
 
West Florida attempted to start a late rally in the sixth, starting with a one-out walk by Howard and a Sassman single – just UWF's second hit of the day. The rally fell short with a groundout and a strikeout, ending the Argonauts' chance.
 
Sweatt was charged with the loss and three runs, falling to 19-4 after going 3.1 innings. Gilbert threw 2.2 innings of relief, allowing a run and three hits.
 
West Florida will play again at 11 a.m. MT on Saturday morning in Denver.