CARROLLTON, Ga. | The University of Alabama in Huntsville baseball team topped No. 15 West Georgia in the Gulf South Conference series finale by a final score of 12-6 on Sunday afternoon. UAH improves to 11-5 (5-1 GSC), while UWG slips to 9-4 (2-4 GSC).
The Chargers jumped on the board early into Sunday's victory with redshirt sophomore
AJ Walden sending a two-run homer to left in the top of the first for a 2-0 lead.
However, West Georgia added one run apiece in the first, second and third frames to overtake the early UAH advantage at 3-2.
In the top of the fourth, the Blue and White regained the lead with a three-run rally, highlighted by a two-RBI single to right by sophomore
Ben Rhodes. UAH added three more runs in the top of the fifth on Walden's second home run of the game – a solo blast for his first multi-homer game of the season – and a two-run single to center by
Michael Fox giving the squad an 8-3 lead.
The Wolves rebounded in the bottom half of the fifth as UAH reliever
Chris Kilpatrick allowed a three-run homer to Dalton Rogers to cut the Chargers lead to 8-6.
UAH went on to post two runs each in the sixth, eighth and ninth innings to bring the game to its 14-6 final. Redshirt junior
Austin Sanders notched his first home run of the season in the two-run sixth.
Fox and Rhodes led the Chargers offense with three hits apiece, while Fox totaled a team-best and season-high four RBI in the victory. Overall, UAH had 18 base hits in the game with a total of seven players recording multi-hit performances.
Chris Kilpatrick earned the win for the Blue and White to improve to 1-1 on the season, after tossing 3.1 innings of relief with three earned runs. Freshman
Taylor Clemons finished off the game out of the bullpen for UAH, working 2.0 scoreless innings. Clemons, a Huntsville native, has yet to allow an earned run in 16.1 innings to start his collegiate career.
The Chargers will be at home for all four games in the coming week beginning with a nonconference matchup against Trevecca Nazarene at 3 p.m. on Wednesday at Charger Park, before jumping back into GSC play with a visit from Christian Brothers on Saturday and Sunday.
