DECATUR, Ala. – The No. 2 UAH softball team opened the 2012 Charger Chillout with a pair of victories on Friday afternoon at Wilson Morgan Park in Decatur. The Chargers moved to 6-0 on the year as they defeated Kentucky Wesleyan 9-3 before turning around to knock off Bellarmine 5-1.
 
With the score 1-0 in the third after the Blue and White gave up a run in the first to KWC, the Chargers pulled even after Kelli Long singled to drive in Meagan Billingsley – one of two runs that Long would knock in for the affair.
 
An Abby MacKay home run in the fourth pushed the Chargers on top, but Kentucky Wesleyan would score a run in both the fourth and fifth frames to go back ahead 3-2. That lead, however, would not last long.
 
With one out in the top frame of the sixth, Stephanie Needham blasted the first of two homers she would hit on the day to tie the game at 3-3, and the long fly sparked what ended up being a seven-run inning for UAH.
 
Kathryn Whitlock knocked in the eventual game-winning run as her base knock through the left side of the Panther infield plated pinch runner Sam Deep. Also driving in runs in the inning were Mary Kelley, Hannah Hogan, Long and Billingsley.
 
Coming off of her no-hitter she tossed against Stillman on Wednesday, Christina Boczek (2-0) pitched four innings of strong relief in picking up the win as she surrendered just three hits and an unearned run while walking none. Whitney Gilbert started the contest and picked up a pair of strikeouts in three innings pitched.
 
The contest against Bellarmine was a scoreless affair through the first four and a half innings as Whitney Toler (3-0) was masterful against the Knights. She went the distance as she gave up just three hits and one run in seven innings while striking out seven.
 
Supporting Toler, the Blue and White offense scored three runs in the fifth inning to break the scoreless tie. Hogan knocked in Kelley who had reached earlier on a base hit for the first run of the game, and Long tripled to score a pair of runs to make it 3-0 after five for UAH.
 
After Bellarmine scored a run in the top of the inning to pull it within two at 3-1, Needham hit one out to deep left to quickly get the run back, and a Kelley double later in the frame scored Jordyn Fones to produce the 5-1 final.
 
Quietly putting together a strong day, Cortney McNett went 4-for-6 on the afternoon in the two games, while Long collected three hits and a team-best four RBI.
 
The Chargers will return to action on Saturday when they take on Palm Beach Atlantic at 10:30 a.m. and Southern Indiana at 12:30 p.m.