AMERICUS, Ga. – Georgia Southwestern battled toe-to-toe with No. 13-ranked University of West Florida for five innings Thursday evening before a decisive sixth inning swung momentum in a 9-2 setback at Lady Canes Field. The Hurricanes struck first and were tied midway through the contest, but a three-run homer and late insurance runs allowed the Argonauts to pull away.
Georgia Southwestern moves to 4-1 on the season, while West Florida improves to 10-1.
Hurricanes Strike First, Match Early Momentum
GSW wasted no time setting the tone. After a one-out triple from
Madison Banks in the bottom of the first,
Peyton Namyslowski grounded out to short, bringing Banks home for a 1-0 Hurricanes lead.
West Florida responded in the second, capitalizing on an error and timely hitting to take a 2-1 advantage. But the Hurricanes answered right back in the third. A walk and another Banks extra-base hit — this time a double to left center — tied the game at 2-2 and kept the pressure squarely on the nationally ranked visitors.
From there, the contest settled into a pitching duel.
Caylee Johnson worked through traffic and kept the Argonauts off the board through the fifth, while West Florida's Haley Guffey matched zeros in the circle.
Sixth-Inning Swing Shifts Control
The game turned in the top of the sixth.
A walk and a single set the stage before Emma Brice launched a three-run homer to left field, pushing West Florida in front 5-2. The Argonauts added another run later in the inning to extend the margin to four.
West Florida continued to apply pressure in the seventh, tacking on three additional runs, including a solo home run and aggressive baserunning that stretched the lead to 9-2.
GSW threatened in the bottom half of the frame when
Erin Garland doubled down the left-field line, but the rally was cut short as West Florida closed out the victory.
Next Up
The Lady Hurricanes host Converse University and the University of Mount Olive for single games on Friday. GSW vs. Converse is at 11:30 a.m. with the game against Mount Olive to follow at 1:30 p.m.
