MONTGOMERY, Ala. | A day after the opposition earned a pair of come-from-behind victories, The University of Alabama in Huntsville softball team was determined to let that not be the same outcome on Sunday as the Chargers scored twice in the top of the seventh to defeat West Georgia 7-5 on the final day of the 2018 GSC Opening Weekend Festival. The Chargers improve to 9-4 (1-2 GSC) with the win, while UWG slips to 8-4 (1-2 GSC).
 
Game Changer
-With the game tied at 5-5 after the Wolves had made a late push, Shelby Booker doubled to leadoff the seventh, moved to third on a sac bunt by Shannon Long, and then scored the eventual game-winning run when Kiara Akles singled.
 
Inside the Box Score
-UAH outhit the opponent by an 11-8 margin with each of Reagan Malone, Amber Hammonds, Booker, and Akles having a pair in the contest.
-Akles drove in a team-high three runs including a two-run homer in the first inning.
-Both Akles and Taylor Wascavage scored twice in the game, with Wascavage picking up a hit and also walking twice.
-Layton Murphy earned the victory in the circle, and she was especially strong to start the contest as she retired the first 13 Wolves that she faced before allowing her first hit of the day.
-UAH totaled three sacrifices in the game, a pair of sac bunts from Long and Jada Hayes along with a sac fly from Wascavage.
 
Key Plays
-Akles opened the scoring with the two-run jack in the top of the first, and the sacrifice from Hayes plated a run in the top of the second to give UAH a 3-0 lead.
-A Malone single in the fourth drove in UAH's fourth run of the contest, and Wascavage's sac fly came in the fifth to put the Chargers up by a 5-0 score before UWG scored twice in the bottom frame and three more times in the sixth to tie the contest at 5-5.
-UAH was not deterred, however, and after the Akles RBI, Hammonds provided the team with insurance as she drove in Akles to create the 7-5 score.
-After allowing a leadoff single in the bottom of the seventh, Murphy then retired the next three Wolves to seal the contest.
 
Noteworthy
-Murphy is now 7-2 on the season, and she has tossed seven complete games in her eight starts.
-Akles is tied for the team lead with three homers on the year, and her 13 RBI are atop the UAH ledger in driving in runs.
-Malone finishes the weekend with six hits in 10 at-bats, and her .538 batting average is the top mark in the GSC by more than 30 points.
 
Next Time Out
-UAH will return to Montgomery next weekend, visiting GSC newcomer Auburn Montgomery for a three-game set. The series starts on Saturday with a doubleheader that is slated to begin at 1 p.m.