JACKSON, Tenn. – The University of West Florida softball team dropped both ends of a doubleheader to open Gulf South Conference action on Saturday afternoon against Union.
 
Kayla Mayo led UWF with three hits and three RBIs in the doubleheader.
 
The series wraps up on Sunday with a single game. First pitch is expected for 1 pm at the University School of Jackson Softball Field.
 
GAME 1: UWF 2, Union 3 (9 innings)
Starter Montana Young and Union's Riely Vaughn were locked in a pitcher's duel from the start. Through the first six innings of the game, the two pitched to a scoreless tie, with only six hits between the two teams.
 
A key difference for the starters in the circle were walks. Young did not issue a walk during the game, while Vaughn issued six.
 
UWF threatened to score throughout the game, and the Argonauts finally struck in the seventh inning. Kelsey Hodges drew a pinch-hit walk, Kayanna Perez singled, and Alayna Lowery drew a pinch-hit walk to load the bases for Kayla Mayo.
 
The senior third baseman ripped a double into the left-center gap and gave UWF a late 2-0 lead.
 
Union's Fallon Groves led off the bottom of the seventh with a home run to cut the score to 2-1, before Allie Whitfield lined a double to tie the game at 2-2.  
 
Young needed only 69 pitches to get through the first six innings of the game. Vaughn, by comparison, needed 103 to get through six against an Argonaut lineup that challenged her all day. West Florida struggled to string hits together though, and went 2-18 with runners on base.
 
Hannah Harper entered the circle in the bottom of the seventh and got two quick outs to send the game to extra innings. Harper was sharp in the eighth, but Union was able to take the win on an RBI double in the ninth.
 
Young threw 6.1 innings and gave up just the two runs, while striking out three. Harper threw 2.1 innings of relief, allowing only one hit and one run, which came on that double in the ninth.
 
GAME 2: UWF 3, Union 5
West Florida jumped ahead quickly in Game 2, with an RBI single in the first inning from Mayo.
 
Kelsey Hodges stretched the lead to 2-0 in the top of the third with a solo home run, before Union picked up a run of its own in the bottom half.
 
The Bulldogs would take the lead in the fifth, scoring a run on a squeeze play to tie the game before a three-run home run just a batter later pushed the Union lead to 5-2.
 
UWF did not go away quickly, however, as the Argonauts loaded the bases with no outs in the top of the sixth. Kayanna Perez lifted a sac fly to score Erin Moon, cutting the Union lead to 5-3.
 
Harper got the start in the circle, allowing three runs over four innings. Jeya Prasad pitched two innings of solid relief, allowing just one hit.