ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – The 20th-ranked University of West Florida softball team split a doubleheader at Flagler on Thursday afternoon, dominating in Game 2 after falling to a late-inning home run in the opener.
 
With the split, UWF is 26-11 on the year.
 
Kelsey Sweatt struck out 13 batters over 7 innings in a one-hitter in Game 2, marking the third time this year that she has recorded 10 or more strikeouts and tying her single-game high that was set last year. She and West Georgia's Morgan Goree are the only pitchers in the Gulf South Conference with three games with 10 or more strikeouts this season.
 
Howard had three hits and three stolen bases in the doubleheader, stretching her current hitting streak to eight games. She is 16-for-30 (.533) over those eight games, with 12 runs scored, 4 doubles, and 6 stolen bases. She also has multiple hits in six of those eight games.
 
UWF has this weekend off and will travel to Carrollton, Georgia, for a Gulf South Conference series against West Georgia on April 24-25.
 
GAME 1: UWF 0, Flagler 2
Starting pitchers Grace Gilbert and Kyra Gipson battled in Game 1, with Flagler's Gipson and the Saints coming out on top after a late home run.
 
Gilbert went the distance for the Argonauts, spinning six innings and striking out five with just three hits allowed and six walks scattered across those six innings. Gilbert dropped to 7-5 on the year but ran into trouble only once in the game – in the fifth inning.
 
The senior cruised through the first four innings and allowed four baserunners though none advanced past second base. Flagler threatened in the fifth after the Saints drew two walks and picked up a single to load the bases. Gilbert got a ground ball to Teala Howard at third, who tagged the base and made a strong throw to Ally Merrill at first to end the inning.
 
UWF put together its own scoring threats in the fourth and fifth innings, though no runs would score.
 
Flagler broke the scoreless tie in the sixth inning with a two-run home run from first baseman Alyssa Velez, and that would be the only scoring in the game.
 
Gilbert's start continued a string of solid outings from the Chipley, Florida, native. Since March 28, she has a 1.46 ERA over 24.0 innings and a .165 opponent batting average that stretches across her last five appearances.
 
GAME 2: UWF 7, Flagler 0
Kelsey Sweatt threw a gem against the Saints in Game 2. She threw 7 innings and struck out 13 in her third shutout of the year, improving her record to 12-3 with the victory. She became the second pitcher in the GSC this season to hit the 100-strikeout mark.
 
Sweatt has kicked into another gear in April, with 48 strikeouts over 33.0 innings across six outings this month and a 1.91 ERA during that time. Each of her three appearances with 10 or more strikeouts have come in April, as well.
 
West Florida gave Sweatt plenty of offense and quickly got ahead with a four-spot in the second inning to take a 4-0 lead. Jacquelynne Poling scored on a bases-loaded grounder from Mika Garcia that was bobbled in the infield by Flagler, and Howard brought in two with a sharp ground ball up the middle and a throwing error from Flagler pitcher Madelyn Wise.
 
Kara Wilson capped off the scoring with an RBI single to shortstop.
 
UWF added three more runs in the fourth, starting with a leadoff single from Howard, who also stole second. Wilson drove in Howard with another RBI single, and Ally Merrill hit her sixth home run of the season just a batter later to stretch the lead to 7-0.
 
Wilson and Merrill each had two RBIs in the game, and Wilson, Poling, and Kayla Mayo had two hits apiece.