HUNTSVILLE, Ala. | The UAH baseball team split a doubleheader with Montevallo on Friday at Charger Park, falling 10-7 in Game 1 before rallying for a dramatic extra-inning 6-5 walk-off victory in Game 2.
With the split, the Chargers will look to secure the series in Saturday morning's rubber match.
Game 1 – Montevallo 10, UAH 7
UAH jumped out to an early lead in the opener before Montevallo used a big middle stretch to take control and hold off a late Charger rally.
Cole Loftis made the start for UAH, pitching six innings and striking out eight batters. Loftis allowed six runs, three earned, and took the loss to fall to 1-2 on the season.
The Chargers struck first in the bottom of the first inning. Taylor Bush delivered a two-out single to bring Nathan Mayfield to the plate, and Mayfield responded with a two-run home run to give UAH a 2-1 lead.
UAH added another run in the second inning when Bush drew a bases-loaded walk to extend the lead to 3-1. Bush had an outstanding game at the plate, finishing 4-for-4 with a walk and an RBI.
Montevallo responded by scoring nine runs over the next several innings to build a seven-run lead entering the bottom of the ninth.
The Chargers mounted one final push in the ninth, loading the bases before Luke Songy launched his first home run of the season, a grand slam that brought UAH within three runs. Despite the late surge, the Falcons held on for the 10-7 win.
Game 2 – UAH 6, Montevallo 5 (8 innings)
The nightcap featured a dramatic comeback as the Chargers erased a four-run deficit before walking it off in extra innings.
Jaxon Hay started Game 2 for UAH and pitched well through the early innings, allowing just one run over four frames. In the fifth, Montevallo capitalized with a four-run inning to take a 5-1 lead.
UAH began chipping away in the third when Jayce Upton singled to left field to score Ian Reagan, putting the Chargers on the board.
Trailing 5-1 in the sixth, Reagan sparked the offense again, leading off the inning with his first home run of the season to make it 5-2.
The Chargers mounted their comeback in the seventh inning. Reagan started the rally with a double, followed by Hugh Windle being hit by a pitch and Gunnar Waldrop drawing a walk to load the bases.
Caleb Mahan drew a walk to bring home Reagan and make it 5-3, and Taylor Bush followed with another bases-loaded walk to score Windle and cut the deficit to one. Moments later, Nathan Mayfield lifted a sacrifice fly to left-center field to tie the game at 5-5 and force extra innings.
In the eighth, Ian Sonner kept Montevallo off the scoreboard to give UAH a chance to win.
With two outs in the bottom half, Braxton Griffin doubled down the right-field line on an 0-2 count. The next batter, Reagan, hit a ground ball up the middle that was misplayed by the Montevallo shortstop, allowing Griffin to race around from second and score the walk-off run.
Sonner earned the win, his first of the season, after delivering three shutout innings while striking out two and allowing just one hit.
The Chargers will look to claim the series on Saturday morning at 10 a.m. when the two teams meet in the rubber match at Charger Park.
