HUNTSVILLE | The University of Alabama in Huntsville softball team cruised to a doubleheader sweep of visiting West Georgia on Saturday, winning 5-1 in the series opener before ensuring the team's third straight series victory with a 16-2 victory in five innings in the nightcap. The Chargers improve to 26-14 (14-9 Gulf South Conference), while UWG falls to 11-28 (4-18 GSC).
 
The two teams are scheduled to wrap up the series on Saturday at noon.
 
UAH 5, West Georgia 1
The Chargers needed just six hits including one mighty swing of the bat from Kiara Akles in the day's first game to pick up the triumph.
 
Akles finished the game 2-for-3 with a double and a three-run home run to lead UAH in the contest, while each of Shelby Booker, Sadie Thompson, Lila Young, and Lawren Hayes also had a hit including a double off the bat of Young.
 
UAH also drew seven walks in the game, including a team-best two from Alaina Hampton, and the Chargers stole six bases with Thompson swiping a pair.
 
Layton Murphy went the distance in the circle, striking out two and allowing just three hits in the seven innings of work.
 
The victory is the 10th of the season for Murphy, and her 63 victories move her to within two wins from fifth-ranked Whitney Toler's 65 on the UAH career wins list.
 
UWG got on the board first with a solo shot in the top of the second, and the guests remained in front until the third when Thompson legged out an infield single on which Akles crossed the plate to tie the game at 1-1.
 
Akles then hit her team-leading eighth home run of the season with a pair on in the fourth to break the tie, and Hayes drove in Young in the fifth to create the eventual 5-1 final.
 
UAH 16, West Georgia 2
The Chargers scored a season-high in runs in the nightcap thanks to a performance that saw the hosts outhit UWG by a 14-6 margin.
 
Kaylee Vaught went 3-for-4 with a double and a homer while driving in two runs, while both Alaina Hampton and Lila Young went 2-for-3 with three RBI as Hampton homered and Young doubled in the game. 
 
Hayes matched Hampton with three RBI of her own on an inside-the-park home run, and Jada Henderson went 2-for-2 with a pair of RBI. 
 
Akles picked up another double and also walked twice, and she increases her team-leading RBI total to 43, while Hampton now has driven in 29 after getting her fifth home run of the season.
 
Vaught is third on the team with 34 RBI and matches Hampton with five round-trippers.
 
In the circle, Megan Shurtz earned the win by striking out four in four innings to move to 11-4 on the season.
 
The contest was never in any doubt as the Chargers scored three times in the first, added on a pair in the second, erupted for seven in the third, and tacked on four more in the fourth before UWG scored a pair in the fifth to create the 16-2 final.