PENSACOLA, Fla. – The 11th-ranked University of West Florida softball team dropped a pair of close games against No. 17 Auburn Montgomery on Saturday afternoon in Pensacola. With the losses, UWF is now 18-6 and holds a 12-2 Gulf South Conference record – still good for second place in the league.
 
Erin Moon led UWF hitters with a .500 batting average, 3 hits, and 4 RBIs in the doubleheader. The Argonauts pitching staff threw to a 2.50 ERA over 14 innings, with 12 strikeouts.
 
The series finale is scheduled for a 1 pm start on Sunday at the UWF Softball Complex.
 
GAME 1: UWF 1, AUM 4
West Florida fell in a pitchers' duel between Kelsey Sweatt and AUM starter Morgan Ferguson in Game 1. Sweatt cruised through the first couple of innings and struck out nine batters in the complete game effort, but she fell to 8-5 on the year as AUM scattered four runs over seven innings.
 
The Argonauts took an early 1-0 lead, following a Teala Howard triple and a double steal from Howard and Kayla Mayo in the first inning. The steal was Howard's GSC-best 19th of the season.
 
UWF put runners on in three of the final six innings but struggled to gain momentum against Ferguson, who improved to 9-2.
 
AUM took the lead in the third on RBI singles from Molly Cobb and Gia Martin. Kat Fallen hit a solo home run in the fifth and Martin added another run with an RBI double in the seventh to stretch the lead to 4-1.
 
In all, Sweatt allowed just six hits but issued four walks and was charged with four earned runs in the game.
 
GAME 2: UWF 5, AUM 6
West Florida's comeback effort in Game 2 fell just short. The Argonauts had the early momentum in the first, as Brett Leiva and Kayla Mayo combined for a great throw and tag to catch AUM leadoff hitter Olivia Aycock stealing and shut down the Warhawks offense early.
 
UWF again took a first inning lead, with singles from Madelyn Vasquez, Jessica Ford, and Erin Moon, who finished the game with four RBIs.
 
But AUM struck for four runs over the next three innings, with two in the second, one in the third, and two more in the fourth.
 
The Argonauts got back on track in the fourth with another Erin Moon RBI. Jessica Ford hit a sharp single up the middle, stole second and third, and scored on a grounder from the freshman Moon.
 
UWF's rally started in the fifth, with a leadoff walk from Laurynn Boggs and a grounder from Teala Howard that turned into an AUM error. After AUM's relief ace Avery Dickerson entered the game, Boggs and Howard pulled off a double steal, and Vasquez drew a walk to load the bases.
 
Moon worked through a nine-pitch at-bat and drove a single into left field to score Boggs and Howard, and pinch-runner Ayana Powell scored on an AUM error in the outfield on the same play.
 
After a scoreless sixth inning, Auburn Montgomery's Gia Martin scored on a double steal attempt to give AUM the late lead.
 
Montana Young turned in a quality start, throwing four innings with just one earned run allowed, though AUM would total four additional unearned runs against the sophomore. Jeya Prasad threw three innings of relief, allowing only two hits and one unearned run. Prasad dropped to 5-1 on the year with the loss.