PENSACOLA, Fla. – The 21st-ranked University of West Florida softball team picked up a convincing nonconference win over Columbus State on Tuesday, behind a strong day in the circle from the entire pitching staff and some timely hitting. The win puts UWF at 25-10 for the year, ahead of the team's doubleheader at Flagler on Thursday.
 
The win was UWF's seventh in a row, dating back to April 2 at Union.
 
West Florida got ahead in the first inning with a sacrifice fly from Ally Merrill and an RBI double to the right-center field gap from Jacquelynne Poling. Poling continued her month-long hot streak with a game-high three hits on the day, including two doubles. Since March 9, she is hitting .396 and leads UWF in doubles (6), home runs (7), RBIs (24), slugging (.958), and on-base percentage (.475).
 
The Argonauts put together a five-run fifth inning, which started at the bottom of the order. Kayanna Perez laid down a sacrifice bunt after Mika Garcia and Teala Howard led off the inning with singles, and CSU third baseman Laura Harris made a wild throw to third that allowed Garcia to score.
 
Kara Wilson followed with a sacrifice fly to score Howard, Perez scored on a wild pitch, and Laurynn Boggs drove a double into left-center to cap off the inning and put UWF ahead 7-0.
 
Grace Gilbert started the day in the circle and threw three scoreless innings, allowing just one hit and two walks. She got out of a bases-loaded jam in the third inning, getting a ground ball to shortstop Mika Garcia, who went far to her right and made a sharp one-hop throw to Ally Merrill at first for the final out of the inning.
 
Kelsey Sweatt followed with two innings of scoreless relief, striking out three and allowing just one hit. The senior got out of a jam with a weak grounder and a strikeout to end the fourth before breezing through the top of the CSU order in the fifth.
 
Montana Young finished off the game for UWF, allowing just one hit over two innings.
 
Possibly the most impressive note of the day came from the UWF pitching staff – the Argos held the top three batters in Columbus State's lineup hitless (0-7) on Tuesday. That trio -- Caitlyn Canady, Katelyn Cooper, and Hannah Rose Corbin – entered the game hitting a combined .450 (95-211).
 
CSU picked up one run in the sixth inning on a solo home run from Morgan Elston to cut into UWF's lead.
 
UWF will visit Flagler in St. Augustine, Florida, for a doubleheader on Thursday scheduled to begin at noon ET at Flagler Field.