April 14, 2008
PENSACOLA, Fla. - UWF continued to dominate over Valdosta State in the second game of a GSC doubleheader on Monday afternoon, winning the second game 6-3. Both teams produced 11 hits, but West Florida managed to execute offensively and defensively to hold VSU to just three runs. Emily Burge got the start, relieved by Taren Walton in the third inning who picked up the win. Burge gave up five VSU hits, while Walton gave up six to combine for 11 hits. Leaders at the plate for West Florida were Burge, Stephany Aguiliar, and Heather Bell.
Both teams were scoreless until the bottom of the second inning when West Florida racked up five runs. Emily Burge led off the inning to collect her sixth homerun of the season, a solo shot directly over the centerfield fence. Caurie Miller followed with a walk, which brought pinch runner Dawnyele Stapleton in at first. Stapleton advanced on a perfectly placed bunt single from Kristee Wheeler. Amie McMillion came in to run for Wheeler, and Julie Carroll walked to load the bases. With the bases loaded, pinch hitter Jillian LaFrance grounded out at first but collected an RBI on Stapleton's run. Whitney Gay reached on an error by the right fielder, dropping a fly ball that led to runs scored by McMillion and Carroll. With Gay on first, Stephany Aguiliar stepped in and roped a triple to right field to score Gay and finish the inning with a 5-0 lead.
Valdosta State's bats began to swing in the bottom of the third inning, starting with a walk drawn by Andi Braswell. Alex Acosta singled, and Robin Williams doubled down the left field line to score Braswell. A double from Kristina Ely picked up two RBIs to close in on West Florida's lead, ending the inning with a 5-3 score. West Florida answered in the fourth with an insurance run off a Whitney Gay single that scored Julie Carroll, who was also on with a single.
Neither team produced any more runs, but both threatened combining for 15 runners left on base. Heather Bell was 2-for-3 with two singles on the day. Adding hits for UWF were Nicky VanCamp, Melissa Chastang, Caurie Miller, and Kathryn Sheppard. Leading defensively was Caurie Miller with two putouts and four assists in the game against VSU. The win improved West Florida to 35-18 on the season and 15-7 in GSC play. West Florida will close their season at home on Saturday and Sunday afternoons, facing GSC opponents West Georgia and West Alabama. Sunday afternoon will also be Senior Day for the Argonauts as the UWF seniors take their home field for the last time.
