PENSACOLA, Fla. – West Florida got strong pitching performances from both Montana Young and Hannah Harper in a doubleheader split against No. 22 West Alabama on Saturday afternoon. With the split day, West Florida is 19-18 with an 11-14 Gulf South Conference record, and UWA is 32-11 and 19-7 in the GSC.
 
Senior Kayla Mayo was UWF's leading hitter for the day, picking up four hits and batting .667. Laurynn Boggs drove in a team-best three RBIs, with a three-run double that ended up being the game-winner in Game 2.
 
Young and Harper stood out in the circle, combining for a 1.00 ERA and 10 strikeouts over 14.0 innings of work. The duo held a tough West Alabama lineup to a .160 batting average
 
The series finale will start at 1 pm on Sunday at the UWF Softball Complex. UWF will be celebrating Senior Day, honoring seniors Kayanna Perez, Kelsey Hodges, Kayla Mayo, and Laurynn Boggs.
 
GAME 1: UWF 1, West Alabama 2
West Florida fell on the wrong end of an outstanding pitcher's duel in the front half of the doubleheader, behind an excellent outing from starting pitcher Montana Young.
 
West Alabama picked up a pair of runs in the first with a home run from Ann Marie Stanbridge, but Young found her groove after that.
 
Young would retire 19 of the final 22 batters she faced, stretching from the first through the seventh inning, allowing just two hits and two walks while striking out seven.
 
Young and UWA's Madison Wright kept the pitcher's duel going, and West Florida got on the board with a solo home run from Emma Brice – the freshman's team-best sixth of the season.
 
Kelsey Hodges made a pair of catches in the top of the fifth inning to slow the UWA rally and keep at least one run from scoring, including a diving effort to end the ininng with the top of the Tigers order coming up.
 
The UWF defense came up big again in the sixth, as Erin Moon threw out Stanbridge trying to steal third on a ball in the dirt to end the frame.
 
Kelsey Hodges led off the seventh by getting hit by a pitch, but UWF could not bring across a run and fell 2-1.
 
GAME 2: UWF 9, West Alabama 3
Hannah Harper got the start in the circle and turned in one of her best outings of the year. She threw 6.0 innings with just six hits and one earned run allowed, improving to 2-4 on the year.
 
West Alabama leadoff hitter Kelsie Gilliam scored on a grounder to give UWA a 1-0 lead in the first inning, but UWF jumped ahead 2-1 in the second.
 
Kayla Mayo squared the game up with an RBI single, scoring Kelsey Hodges, and Mayo scored on a wild pitch just a few batters later.
 
UWA evened the score in the third, with a run coming in on an error, but UWF took the lead right back when Hannah Harper hit a chopper to short and a high throw from West Alabama allowed Madelyn Vasquez to score.
 
Harper was strong in the circle, holding off a strong Tigers offense throughout the day. UWA threatened in the fifth inning, while UWF led 3-2, but Harper induced a groundout to Vasquez at third base that ended the inning.
 
West Florida took that momentum into the bottom of the fifth, where Laurynn Boggs drove a three-run double down the left field line to break the game open and give UWF a 6-2 lead.
 
UWF stretched the lead even more in the sixth, loading the bases and getting a sacrifice fly from Emma Brice and a two-run double from Madelyn Vasquez, putting the score at 9-2 heading to the seventh.
 
UWA scored a run in the top of the seventh, but Bella Holliday threw out a West Alabama base-stealer to end the game.