LIVINGSTON, Ala. – The University of West Alabama softball team returns to the diamond on Thursday, March 12, hosting in-state foe Miles College prior to opening the Gulf South Conference season on Friday, March 13 against West Georgia at the UWA Softball Complex.  First pitch between the Tigers and Golden Bears is set for 5 p.m.  Live stats will be available at athletics.uwa.edu.

The Tigers bumped their season’s mark to 18-2 on Monday with a sweep of Lambuth University.  UWA topped LU 11-2 in the opener and rallied in the night cap for a 9-5 win.  MC enters the twinbill 0-9-1 after dropping a pair to UAH on Tuesday.  The Tigers will look for the season sweep of the Golden Bears after picking up a pair of wins in Fairfield, Ala. on Feb. 17.

Senior shortstop Courtney Gordon leads the Red and White at the plate with a .417 clip.  The Columbus, Miss.-native is tied with sophomore Kelli Hartley for the team lead in hits with 25.  Gordon has registered multiple hits in 10 of the 20 games played this season.  Hartley paces the UWA line up with 26 RBIs and shares the home run lead with senior Emily White and sophomore Valisha Fincher.  The Tiger trio has posted six home runs each this season.  As a team, UWA ranks second in the GSC with 27 round trippers. 

In the circle, UWA sports a team earned run average of 2.24, led by junior Jessica Cervantes’ 1.01 mark.  The Visalia, Calif.-junior right hander has already surpassed UWA’s all-time career saves leader, Brittany McGee, with her six saves on the season.  She ranks tops in the league in that category and opposing batters are connecting at a .143 clip against her.  McGee leads the ballclub with a 7-1 record along with Aubree Hudson’s 5-1 mark.

The Wolves of UWG will stroll into Livingston with a 14-8 pre-conference mark after a sweep of Georgia College & State on Tuesday in Carrollton, Ga.  UWA will look to snap a four-game losing streak to the Wolves.  The last three setbacks have been one-run contests.