PENSACOLA, Fla. – Timely hitting throughout the lineup and an outstanding relief effort from Kelsey Sweatt got the University of West Florida softball team an 8-1 win over West Georgia on Sunday afternoon. The Argonauts improved to 17-9 on the year and now have a 7-5 Gulf South Conference record.
 
Sweatt entered the game in relief of starter Megan Warhurst in the second inning, and Sweatt dominated. The junior from Jacksonville, Florida, allowed just two hits over her 5.2 innings of work, on the way to earning her seventh win of the year.
 
West Georgia scored a run in the first, but left fielder Grace Gilbert scored on a wild pitch in the bottom half of the inning to even the score at 1-1.
 
The tie game would not last for long, however, with a pair of two-out RBIs from the top of the UWF order. Gilbert tripled to right-center in the second inning to bring in Teala Howard, and shortstop Mika Garcia brought in Gilbert a batter later with a single to center field to stretch UWF's lead to 3-1.
 
West Florida added another run in the third, with an RBI double from Mallory Vining – her first of two on the day. That scored Kayla Mayo, putting the score at 4-1, and that duo started another threat in the fifth inning.
 
Mayo drew a walk to lead off the inning and moved to third with some heads-up baserunning, after a sacrifice bunt from Vining. Mayo scored again when Kara Wilson hit a single back up the middle after a 17-pitch at-bat against UWG pitcher Katie Foote.
 
The Argonauts struck for three more runs in the sixth inning, coming on back-to-back doubles from Vining and Wilson.
 
Howard, Gilbert, Vining, and Wilson each had two hits in the game. Over seven games during the last week, Howard had multiple hits in every game and finished the week hitting .577 (15-26). Wilson hit .444 with a team-best .833 slugging percentage, four doubles, and a home run.
 
West Florida gets back on the road next weekend, with a series at Lee in Cleveland, Tennessee, on Friday March 13 and Saturday, March 14.