LIVINGSTON, Ala. – The University of West Florida baseball team now stands at 5-6 overall and 3-2 in the Gulf South Conference after a split doubleheader against conference foe West Alabama on Saturday afternoon. UWF will have a chance to take the series win with a victory on Sunday, with first pitch slated for 1 pm.
 
West Florida pitching totaled 21 strikeouts over 15 innings, with just 4 earned runs allowed in the doubleheader. Matthew Estrada went 6-for-8 on the day, including his third career four-hit game.
 
GAME 1: UWF 2, WEST ALABAMA 3
Both teams were held scoreless until the sixth inning, when UWA struck for three runs – only one of which was earned. Tiger batters Connor Christian and Gavin Rogers each had RBIs in the inning, the only ones that UWF starter Eric Keating would be charged with.
 
Keating put together a strong start but ran into trouble in the sixth after three consecutive UWA singles loaded the bases. The senior induced a grounder and got the first out at home, but a UWF error let in two runs just a batter later. UWA's Rogers grounded out to short two batters after that, stretching West Alabama's lead to 3-0 after six innings.
 
In all, Keating struck out seven and allowed four hits over 5.1 innings, before Alex Knight entered the game in relief. Knight threw the final 2.2 innings and allowed just one hit while striking out three and not issuing a walk.
 
Shortstop Miller Hancock got UWF on the board with a grounder to short that scored Trevor Payne in the top of the seventh, and Justin Dunnam brought in Sam Harris in the top of the ninth, cutting the deficit to 3-2. Hancock flew out to right just a batter later to end the game.
 
UWA starter Peyton Warren improved to 3-1 on the year, going six innings and tallying six strikeouts.
 
GAME 2: UWF 6, WEST ALABAMA 3
The UWF offense started firing earlier in Game 2, with a Dylan Menhennet bunt single scoring Harris in the third inning. West Alabama's Taylor Clemmons lifted a double to right-center to put the Tigers ahead 2-1, but that lead would not last for long.
 
UWF struck for three runs in the top of the fourth – Hancock scored the first run on a passed ball with Harris at the plate. Matthew Estrada tripled down the right field line a batter later and drove in Payne and Harris to give UWF the lead again.
 
It would be Estrada again in the sixth, singling to center field to bring in freshman left fielder Brooks Mitchell, and Payne singled through the right side in the seventh to bring in Hancock, putting the score at 6-2.
 
West Alabama threatened in the seventh, loading the bases and scoring on a bases-loaded walk before freshman Anthony Martens came in for the final batter and struck out Clemmons to end the game.
 
Freshman pitcher Sean Means got his first career win by throwing 2.1 hitless innings in relief of starter Jared Middleton, and Martens got his second save of the season.