HUNTSVILLE | A walk-off grand slam gave the 18th-ranked University of Alabama in Huntsville softball team and head coach Les Stuedeman a milestone victory before the Chargers rolled to a huge victory in game two to sweep the doubleheader over visiting Delta State on Saturday afternoon, winning 7-5 in the opener before claiming a 21-7 win in five innings in the nightcap. UAH improves to 7-4 (2-0 Gulf South Conference), while the Lady Statesmen slip to 3-7 (0-2 GSC).
 
Next Time Out
-The Chargers will look to complete the series sweep on Sunday as the teams conclude the weekend with a 12 p.m. contest.
 
UAH 7, Delta State 5
Noteworthy
-Stuedeman becomes just the 27th NCAA coach – across all divisions and all-time – to reach 1,100 wins, and she is only the eighth Division II coach to ever reach the plateau.
-Among active Division II coaches, Stuedeman ranks fourth in victories, and she is the eighth-best by winning percentage of all-time at the Division II level.
 
Game Changer
-With the bases loaded and the Chargers down by a pair of runs, Shannon Long hit a long fly over the fence in right center to lift the home team to the history-making victory.
 
Inside the Box Score
-Delta State outhit the Chargers by a 10-9 margin in the contest.
-Four different UAH players – Shelby Booker, Kiara Akles, Kaylee Vaught, and Long – had two hits each, with Vaught, Long, and Lila Young each recording a double in addition to home runs from Akles and Long.
-Long drove in the four runs, while each of Akles, Vaught, and Young also had an RBI.
-Booker had a pair of steals in the game.
-After tossing a perfect top of the seventh inning, Sydnee Uhlman earned the victory in the circle.
 
Key Plays
-Delta State opened the scoring by crossing the plate three times in the second, and after a scoreless third, a solo home run in the fourth lifted the Lady Statesmen to a 4-0 advantage.
-The guests then tacked on another tally in the sixth to go up 5-0.
-Akles got the comeback started for the Chargers when she launched a solo homer to left, and both Vaught and Young doubled in runs in the sixth to pull UAH within two at 5-3.
-Uhlman then induced three straight groundouts in the top of the seventh to give UAH a chance in the bottom half of inning.
-Booker led off the seventh with a base hit down the third base line, and after Cornell and Akles both walked (with Heather Phillips then pinch running for Akles), Long ended the game with one swing of the bat to create the 7-5 final.
 
Noteworthy
-The homer for Long is her first of the season and it is her 17th career long fly, while Akles hits her team-leading third of the year.
-Uhlman moves to 2-1 on the season in the circle.
 
UAH 21, Delta State 7 (5 inn.)
Game Changer
-UAH sent 12 to the plate and scored seven times in the opening inning to set the tone for the remainder of the contest.
 
Inside the Box Score
-The two teams combined for 32 hits with UAH picking up 19 to Delta's 13.
-Eleven different Chargers had a hit with Long's 4-for-5 showing leading the way, while Mackenzie Nutt went 3-for-5 with four RBI.
-Each of Vaught, Booker, and Young also recorded a pair of hits.
-The Chargers had six doubles with Long having a pair in addition to one each from Vaught, Nutt, Young, and Kelly Ann Sanders, while Booker logged a triple.
-Each of Long, Booker, Young, Sanders, and Eve Mallard drove in a pair of runs.
-The Chargers also drew seven walks with Booker drawing a pair on her way to scoring three times.
-Long touched the plate a team-best four times, with Nutt, Young, Mallard, and Cornell all scoring twice.
-Both Long and Booker picked up a pair of steals.
-Gracie Deaton was credited with the win in the circle, tossing 1.2 innings in the middle of the contest and allowing just one run.
 
Key Plays
-After Layton Murphy stranded a pair of runners in the top of the first, the Chargers would score four times in the bottom frame before an out was recorded, and ultimately each of Booker, Nutt, Long, Young, and Vaught would have run-scoring hits in the inning as UAH went up 7-0.
-The Chargers tacked on five more in the second with Long, Sanders, Mallard, and Booker each driving in runs to help the hosts claim a 12-0 lead.
-The Lady Statesmen responded with a five-spot of their own in the top of the third to make it 12-5, and Sanders would get one of those runs back in the bottom of the third to make it a 13-5 game.
-A scoreless top of the fourth followed, but UAH would send 13 batters to the plate and score eight times on six hits in the home half, helping create – after DSU scored twice in the fifth – the 21-7 final.
 
Noteworthy
-The 21 runs for the Chargers mark a program record for runs scored against a GSC opponent, besting the old mark of 20 which had been done four times including most recently at Union on April 22, 2016.
-Nutt had only one RBI last weekend before picking up the four in the nightcap, moving her team-leading total to 12.
-Long is now second on the team with nine RBI.
-The six doubles in the game mark the most since the team had six against Miles on March 26 of last season.