MONTEVALLO, Ala. – Montevallo earned the series win over West Florida, on Saturday, as the Falcons split a doubleheader as Kermit A. Johnson Field and Bob Riesener Stadium.
The Falcons opened the day with a come-from-behind win 10-8 to clinch the series win over UWF. The Argonauts avoided the sweep with an 8-1 win over UM in the series finale.
Montevallo showcased resiliency in game one of the doubleheader by climbing out of an early 5-0 hole to win, 10-8.
GAME 1 INFORMATION
Score: Montevallo 10 | West Florida 8
Records: Montevallo 23-17 (14-9) | West Florida 23-16 (14-9)
Location: Montevallo, Ala. | Kermit A. Johnson Field at Bob Riesener Stadium
Montevallo fell behind early on as the Argonauts added five runs through the first two frames. In the bottom of the second, UM answered West Florida with a five-spot to even the score 5-5. The scoring began with an RBI single from Landon Leake before an error added a second run. Next, singles from Wyatt Cunningham and Connor Crowson added two more runs to trim the deficit to one, 5-4. Evan Liddie capped off the inning with an RBI fielders choice to even the score 5-5.
In the sixth, Leake continued a hot day at the plate with a two-run home to push UM ahead 7-5. Prior to the homer, Luke Mitchell kept the inning alive with a two-out single, leading to the pair of runs.
West Florida grabbed a run back on a solo homer in the fourth, but Logan Harbin answered for the Falcons with an RBI single to push the lead to 8-6.
An RBI double from Ethan Huddleston and another RBI single off Harbin's bat extended the lead to 10-6 in the sixth inning.
The Argonauts scraped across two runs in the eighth to trim UM's lead to two, 10-8. Dawson Hargrove entered out of the bullpen and grabbed a strikeout to end the eight. Hargrove returned for the ninth and went three up, three down to secure his second save and the 10-8 win.
Connor Phelan pitched effectively over three innings in relief to earn the win, his fourth of the year.
GAME NOTES
· Montevallo scored 10 runs on 14 hits while West Florida scored eight runs on 15 hits.
· West Florida left 10 runners on base while Montevallo stranded five.
· Evan Liddie extended his hitting streak to six games as he went 3-for-5 with an RBI and his 15th multi-hit game of the year.
· Jake O'Connell went 1-for-3 to extend his hit streak to 10 games and push his reached-base streak to 12 games.
· Connor Crowson finished 2-for-5 with an RBI.
· Landon Leake drove in a season-high three runs as he hit a two-run homer and an RBI single to finish 2-for-3.
· Connor Phelan pitched 3.0 innings in relief with three K's and just two runs allowed to earn his fourth win of the year.
· Dawson Hargrove retired the final four batters to earn his second save.
GAME 2 INFORMATION
Score: Montevallo 1 | West Florida 8
Records: Montevallo 23-18 (14-10) | West Florida 24-16 (15-9)
Location: Montevallo, Ala. | Kermit A. Johnson Field at Bob Riesener Stadium
After a scoreless first inning for both sides, West Florida took an early 3-0 lead with one run in the second and a pair in the third. The Falcons committed two errors through the first three games, resulting in two of the three runs being unearned.
UM responded in the bottom of the second with an RBI single from Harbin to trim the deficit to 3-1. However, the Falcons left the bases loaded in the frame.
Following two more scoreless frames, a three-spot in the fifth and two runs in the sixth pushed UWF to an 8-1 advantage.
The Falcons were unable to rally late, falling 8-1.
GAME NOTES
· Montevallo scored just one run on six hits while West Florida added 11 more hits on the weekend for eight runs.
· UM had three errors in the series finale after turning in clean performances in games one and two.
· Jake O'Connell walked three times as he improved his reached-base streak to 13 games but snapped a 10-game hitting streak.
· Logan Harbin drove in the lone run as he finished 2-for-3.
· Connor Crowson added two hits and scored a run as he went 2-for-3.
UP NEXT:
Montevallo continues a four-game homestand with a midweek matchup, Tuesday, April 16, against West Alabama at Kermit A. Johnson Field and Bob Riesener Stadium.
