PALM BEACH, Fla. – The University of West Florida got two more strong pitching performances on Saturday afternoon, and the offense came out blazing in Game 2 of a split doubleheader with Palm Beach Atlantic.
 
The Argonauts have a combined 1.22 ERA through the team's first four games of the year, and opponents are hitting just .215 against the UWF pitching staff.
 
Chelsea Dumas led the way with four RBIs in Game 2, while Jessica Ford added three of her own, and Bella Holliday drove in two. Hannah Harper and Madelyn Vasquez each scored three times and had a pair of hits.
 
UWF wraps up opening weekend on Sunday, with a doubleheader at Nova Southeastern in Fort Lauderdale set to start at noon ET.  
 
GAME 1: UWF 0, Palm Beach Atlantic 1
Freshman Hannah Harper impressed with a strong start in her first collegiate game. The lefty allowed just five hits over six innings without issuing a walk.
 
It took Harper just 70 pitches to get through her six innings of work, with a 1.17 ERA for the contest.
 
While the Argonaut offense struggled to string hits together, Kayla Mayo tallied two hits in the game and Erin Moon drove a double early in the sixth. That double in the sixth inning would give UWF its best chance to even the score, but the Argos were held off.
 
PBA's lone run came in the fourth inning, with three consecutive singles followed by a sacrifice fly.
 
GAME 2: UWF 12, Palm Beach Atlantic 0 (5 innings)
After the teams traded scoreless first innings, the UWF bats woke up in the second.
 
Madelyn Vasquez led off with a double to right center, and Hannah Harper gave the Argos two runners in scoring position after she singled and stole second base.
 
Bella Holliday brought in the first run of the game on a PBA error, Harper scored on a passed ball, and Chelsea Dumas and Jessica Ford each had an RBI in the inning to put West Florida ahead 4-0.
 
Those four runs were more than enough for Jeya Prasad, who twirled a two-hit shutout. She struck out four and walked only one in another strong outing. Her ERA through the first four games of the year stands at an impressive 0.64. The sophomore retired the first six batters she faced and did not run into any trouble in her five innings of work.
 
Holliday added another RBI with a sacrifice fly in the third, and Dumas stretched the lead to 7-0 with a two-run double.
 
West Florida put five more runs on the board in the fifth, starting with an RBI single from Dumas. Laurynn Boggs drove in a run with an RBI single to right field, Ford had a two-run double to left, and Kayla Mayo capped off the scoring with an RBI single to left, scoring Ford.