Box Score

JACKSON, Tenn. | The No. 23 University of Alabama in Huntsville softball team opened up its final road series of the regular season with a win on Friday night, defeating host Union 5-2. The Chargers improve to 29-12 (19-8 Gulf South Conference), while UU slips to 16-27 (7-20 GSC).

Game Changer
-Jada Hayes drove in three runs — including a pair on a two-run homer — and then earned the save in the circle to help propel the Chargers to the victory.

Inside the Box Score
-Union outhit the Chargers by a slim 7-6 margin, and six different UAH players accounted for the team's hits.
-In addition to the three RBI from Hayes, Kiara Akles and Shelby Booker also both drove in a run each in the contest. 
-The Chargers also drew six walks in the game with Brooke Miller collecting a pair. 
-Miller scored two of UAH's runs, while Hayes, Reagan Malone, and Alaina Hampton also crossed the plate. 
-Layton Murphy earned the win in the circle as she went four innings, scattering five hits before giving way to Hayes who tossed the final three frames, and she gave up just two hits while striking out three.

Key Plays
-The scoring for UAH started in the top of the first when Hayes had a productive groundout, driving in Malone who had led the inning off with a walk.
-Union would tie the game on an infield single in the home half of the first, but the guests would reclaim the lead with an infield hit of their own off the bat of Booker that played Hampton. 
-The score remained 2-1 in favor of the Chargers until the top of the third when Hayes homered on the first pitch she saw with Miller on after walking just before the at-bat for Hayes, but the Bulldogs would get one of the runs back in the bottom half of the inning to make it 4-2 with three complete. 
-Neither team was able to do much more until an Akles double with two outs in the top of the seventh drove in Miller and provided the Chargers with an insurance run, and then after allowing a leadoff single, Hayes retired the next three in order to end the game with the 5-2 final.

Noteworthy
-The home run for Hayes is her fifth of the season, and she now has 37 RBI.
-Akles retakes the RBI lead as she has driven in 39 on the season. 
-Murphy moves to 15-7 on the season in the circle, and Hayes earns her second save of the season which is also the team's second save overall. 

Next Time Out
-The two teams will wrap up the series on Saturday with a doubleheader that is slated to begin at 1 p.m.