LIVINGSTON, Ala. --- The 26th-ranked Montevallo baseball team fell behind early and couldn't battle back in a 6-2 loss to West Alabama in the opening game of a Gulf South Conference series on the road Friday afternoon. The Falcons fell to 26-9 and 11-7 in the GSC, while UWA improved to 10-25 and 8-11 in the GSC. 

Next Up: The Falcons and Tigers complete the three-game GSC series tomorrow with a doubleheader beginning at noon.

Pitching
Gino Cozzi (6-3) took the loss for the Falcons. He pitched six innings, allowed six runs, four earned, on five hits. He also struck out seven and walked two. 

Falcons Leaders
The UM offense struggled to get the wheels turning, managing only six  hits in the game. Jake Smallwood and Will Pratt accounted for four of the hits with two each. Pratt had a double, while Smallwood drove in a run.

Key Plays:

West Alabama scored four runs in the fourth inning, then added one in the fifth and another in the sixth inning to open up a 6-0 lead.

Top 8th
The Falcons got on the board in with an RBI single by Smallwood with the bases loaded. Later, Brooks Cooner scored on a sacrifice fly by Ben Teel, cutting the deficit down to 6-2.