CLINTON, Miss. – Offense was at a premium in Thursday's action between the University of West Florida and Mississippi College at the MC Softball Complex, as UWF split a doubleheader with the Lady Choctaws. The Argonauts are now 18-4 on the year after the nonconference action.
 
Kelsey Sweatt and Montana Young each turned in strong starts for the Argonauts, combining for a 0.54 ERA and 10 strikeouts over 13.0 innings, while allowing just 9 combined hits against a potent MC offense.
 
Teala Howard led UWF with four hits on the day, stretching her hitting streak to 11 games. Kayla Mayo had two hits, plus a sacrifice fly in Game 2. Madelyn Vasquez and Madilynne Webb each had a critical RBI on Thursday, and Vasquez stretched her reached-base streak to 21 games.
 
UWF will host Union in a nonconference doubleheader at the UWF Softball Complex on Tuesday, March 22. First pitch is scheduled for 1 pm, and it will be a $2 Tuesday – fans can get $2 tickets, $2 hot dogs, and $2 popcorn at the ballpark.
 
GAME 1: UWF 1, Mississippi College 2
West Florida fell on the wrong side of a pitcher's duel between Kelsey Sweatt and Avery Sanders in Game 1.
 
Sweatt was sharp over six innings of work, striking out four while allowing just four hits and one walk. Despite being charged with the loss, Sweatt held MC to 2-for-14 with runners on base and 0-for-7 with two outs. The two runs that MC scored were both unearned for Sweatt, who fell to 8-4 on the year.
 
The game was locked in a scoreless tie until the sixth. Madelyn Vasquez led off the six with a walk and moved to second on a grounder from Angela Agurkis. After Erin Moon walked, Madilynne Webb drove a go-ahead RBI single to left field and put West Florida ahead 1-0.
 
But the lead would not last long. MC's AnneMarie Peavy led off the bottom of the sixth with a single and that was followed by a Jenna Ergle double. The Lady Choctaws scored their two runs just a few batters later on a UWF error.
 
Several Argonauts reached base multiple times in the game. Vasquez drew three walks and Howard had three hits and a stolen base, while Kayla Mayo and Erin Moon each had a hit and drew a walk.
 
GAME 2: UWF 2, Mississippi College 1
Montana Young was sharp in the second half of the doubleheader, striking out six and allowing just one run in seven innings of work. She threw 116 pitches on the way to improving to 5-0 on the year.
 
Mississippi College jumped ahead 1-0 with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the first, but UWF evened the game with one of its own in the top of the third. Kelsey Hodges led off the inning with a double, advanced to third on a single from Teala Howard, and Kayla Mayo brought in Hodges with a fly ball to center field.
 
Young got out of a tricky spot in the bottom of the fifth, when MC loaded the bases with just one out and the heart of the order coming up. Young got a pair of popouts from All-GSC catcher McCall Lee and Jordan LaFosse to keep the game tied.
 
Mayo singled with one out in the sixth to put a runner on for Madelyn Vasquez, who drove a double to center field and gave UWF a 2-1 lead. The RBI was the 29th of the year for Vasquez, giving her the second-most in the Gulf South Conference.
 
MC threatened again in the sixth, with two runners on and one out. Young picked up a strikeout and got a lineout to Kayanna Perez in left field to end the inning.
 
Young had little trouble in the seventh, striking out two batters.