PENSACOLA, Fla. | The University of Alabama in Huntsville softball team picked up a dramatic win on Sunday and picked up a conference series victory in the process as the Chargers defeated No. 17 West Florida 4-3 in eight innings. UAH improves to 22-14 (12-9 Gulf South Conference), while UWF falls to 22-11 (15-6 GSC).
 
With the Chargers chasing a run in the top of the seventh, Kaylee Vaught belted her fourth home run of the season and earned her 32nd RBI of the year to tie the game at 3-3, and Eve Mallard put the visitors ahead in the top of the eighth with a solo shot – her first of the year – to center for what proved to be the game-winning blast.
 
In between those two big swings of the bat, Layton Murphy worked out of a big jam in the bottom of the seventh, getting a strikeout to strand runners at second and third, and she retired the side in order in the bottom of the eighth to pick up her ninth victory of the season.
 
UAH finished the contest outhitting West Florida by an 8-3 margin, and half of those hits came from Vaught who was 2-for-4 and Lila Young who was 2-for-3 with a walk and a run. 
 
Murphy pitched the final five innings and was masterful, allowing just one hit and walking one while striking out four in relief of starter Maddie Tankersley.
 
After the hosts took an early 1-0 lead, the Chargers would respond in the top of the second as Lawren Hayes singled in Young before Gracie Green scored on a wild pitch to put UAH in front 2-1.
 
UWF then scored a run in each of the third and fourth innings to go up 3-2, but Murphy would then work around a hit-by-pitch in the bottom of the fifth and tossed a 1-2-3 inning in the sixth to set up the late dramatics.
 
The Chargers will return to action on Tuesday, stepping out of conference play for a visit to Miles. That doubleheader is slated for a 1 p.m. start.