GULF SHORES, Ala. – The University of West Florida softball team fell to No. 5 North Georgia 4-1 on Sunday afternoon, wrapping up the Argonauts' time in Gulf Shores, Alabama. UWF, ranked No. 17 in the NFCA preseason poll, is now 2-2 on the year.
 
UNG got ahead quickly with a two-run single to left field from Jolie Lester in the first inning, but starting pitcher Kelsey Sweatt struck out a pair of Nighthawks to end the threat. Mallory Parker added another UNG run with a double in the third, and Haley Cummings turned a fly ball into another run for the Nighthawks in the inning.
 
West Florida struggled to get anything going against starting pitcher Tybee Denton, who improved to 2-0 on the young season. Sweatt would be charged with the loss, falling to 2-2.
 
UWF picked up its lone run of the afternoon in the seventh inning. Teala Howard singled and stole second, before advancing to third on a wild pitch. Newcomer Madelyn Vasquez then drew a walk and attempted a steal of second, and Howard scored on the throw down.
 
Howard led the team offensively in the tournament, batting .455 with five hits. Sweatt turned in a 2.10 ERA over 13.1 innings with 8 strikeouts and an opponent batting average of just .196.
 
West Florida will head to Melbourne, Florida, next weekend for the Florida Tech Invitational, where the Argonauts will play No. 8 St. Anselm, Florida Tech, Rollins, and Barry.
 
For all information on the team, follow @UWFSoftball on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.