OXFORD, Ala. – The Montevallo softball team falls late to West Florida in the first round of the GSC Tournament on Wednesday, Apr. 30. With the loss, UM is now 30-23. West Florida improves to 34-15 and will take on Mississippi College in the winners bracket.
 
After the first two batters were retired to leadoff the game, the Falcons applied pressure as Molly Pendley reach on an infield single and advanced to second on a single to left field by Becca Benton. West Florida was able to get out of the jam with a diving play by the Argonaut third baseman, who stepped the third base bag to end the inning. The Falcon defense did an excellent job of getting the shutdown inning in the bottom half of the first as Skylar Johnson and Ariana Pinder would roll a double-play ball up the middle.
 
UM took the lead in the top of the second as Skylar Johnson scored on a fielder error by the Argonaut defense. Johnson led off the inning with a single to left. Falcon starting pitcher, Taylor Lloyd retired the Argonauts in order in the second while picking up her first strikeout of the game.
 
Both teams were aided by a double-play in the third inning. After a leadoff single by UWF, Riley Tyree caught a bunt in the air and fired to Ariana Pinder who was covering first.
 
Both teams went scoreless in the third, but West Florida tied it up in the fourth with a single up the middle.
 
Kiley Christopher and Emma Hawkins both reached on errors to start the fifth. Bentlee Stiner lined out to the second basemen, who tried to double up Hawkins at first. The throw was off line and Christopher and Hawkins were able to advance. While Hawkins was running to second the first baseman threw the ball off Hawkins head, which allowed Christopher to score from third and give the Falcons the lead.
 
West Florida threatened in the bottom of the sixth as back-to-back singles led off the inning for UWF. Taylor Lloyd struck out the next batter swinging for her third punchout of the game. Lloyd got the next two batters to fly out to Bentlee Stiner in left to end the Argonaut scoring threat.
 
The Falcons had a chance to extend the lead after Kiley Christopher singled up the middle and Bentlee Stiner worked a walk, but stingy UWF pitching kept UM off the scoreboard in the top of the seventh. In the bottom of the seventh, the Argonauts led off with a walk. The next batter would reach on a Falcon miscue on defense. With second and third, no outs, West Florida hit a ball into the right center gap to walk-off the Falcons.
 
GAME INFORMATION
Score: Montevallo 2 | West Florida 3
Records: Montevallo 30-23 (19-14 GSC) | West Florida 34-15 (22-11 GSC)
Location: Choccolocco Park | Oxford, Ala.
 
GAME NOTES

• Molly Pendley led the Falcons with two hits in the game. This is Pendley's 13^th multi-hit game of the season.
• Becca Benton, Skylar Johnson and Kiley Christopher had one hit a piece.
• Taylor Lloyd was great for the Falcons as she went six innings, allowed two earned runs and three walks. Lloyd struck out three. This is Lloyd's 18^th outing where she's gone six or more innings this season.
• The Falcons converted three double-plays on defense in the game.

 
UP NEXT
The Falcons will look to keep their 2025 season alive as they take on the sixth-seeded West Alabama Tigers on Thursday, May 1 at 10:00 a.m. at Choccolocco Park.