HUNTSVILLE | The University of Alabama in Huntsville softball team won its sixth straight game and picked up its second straight Gulf South Conference series sweep with a 5-2 victory over Shorter on Saturday at Charger Park. The Chargers improve to 23-9 (13-5 GSC) with the triumph, while the Hawks slip to 21-15 (10-8 GSC).
 
Game Changer
-With the team trailing 2-1 entering the bottom of the sixth, Kaitlyn Bannister led off the inning with a game-tying – and record-tying – home run that would tie the game and ultimately spawn a four-run rally in the inning, and it was a bases-loaded walk from Shannon Long that forced in the go-ahead run for home team.
 
Inside the Box Score
-Hits in the contest were even at seven for each team, though four of UAH's came in the big sixth inning, and the top of the Charger lineup was especially impressive as the 1-2-3 spots went a combined 5-for-8 including a pair of two-hit outings from Reagan Malone and Ashley Cornell and the homer from Bannister.
-Erin Jewell and Brooke Miller had the other hits for the Chargers.
-In addition to the RBI from Bannister and Long, Malone had a pair as she drove in insurance tallies in the sixth, while Tyler Harrison had the other.
-Harrison earned the win in the circle for the Chargers to pick up her ninth victory of the season, tossing 3.0 innings of one-hit relief while also striking out three and walking none.
-Starter Emily Glover went 2.1 innings, giving up five hits and the two Shorter runs before yielding to Hannah Murray who was quite effective in her relief stint, giving up just one hit and striking out one.
 
Key Plays
-The Hawks quickly got on the board with a two-out solo homer in the first, and the guests tacked on another run in the third to go up 2-0.
-UAH quickly trimmed the deficit in half, however, as Long led off the bottom half of the third by being hit by a pitch, moved to second on a perfectly executed sacrifice by Malone, and then advanced to third on a base hit by Cornell, allowing her to score on Harrison's sac fly to make it a 2-1 game.
-Shorter threatened in the fifth with back-to-back singles to open the frame, but Harrison retired the last three batters of the inning in order to keep the score where it was.
-After a 1-2-3 inning from Harrison in the top of the sixth, Bannister led off the bottom frame with the solo shot, and later in the inning with the bases loaded, Long drew the game-winning walk with two outs to put the Chargers ahead 3-2.
-Malone closed the scoring with a single into center that plated Sarah Jordan and Erin Jewell to create the eventual 5-2 final after Harrison retired Shorter in order in the top of the seventh.
 
Noteworthy
-Bannister has now tied the GSC record for career RBI with 239 with the home run on Saturday. She is level with Valdosta State's Marti Field who also racked up 239 from 2009-12.
-Malone picked up her seventh double of the year in the victory, and that total is the second-best mark on the team.
 
Next Time Out
-The Chargers will host Tuskegee on Thursday at 2 p.m. at Charger Park in a midweek showdown before traveling to rival North Alabama next weekend in Florence.