LIVINGSTON, Ala. – The Lee University softball team split a doubleheader with the University of West Alabama on Saturday afternoon. 

The Lady Flames took game one, 6-4, before dropping the rubber match, 2-6.

Lee is now 23-24 (10-19 GSC), while West Alabama moves to 29-16 (18-12 GSC).

GAME ONE: 
Javaria Smith went 3-for-4 with 3 RBIs, and Layne Bailey went the complete game pitching as the Lady Flames held on for the win.

Alyson Jarvi got the scoring started with a sacrifice fly to bring home Smith in the third. Smith then opened the game up with a bases-clearing triple in the fourth to extend the lead to four.

The Tigers added one back in the bottom half of the fourth, but Ava Perkins brought home Alexa Scalzo with an RBI single in the fifth, and Jarvi drew a two-out walk in the sixth to extend the lead to five runs.

West Alabama would not go down without a fight, scoring on a RBI double in the sixth and holding Lee scoreless in the seventh.

The Tigers made it interesting in the seventh. After a leadoff error, the hosts used an RBI fielder's choice and an RBI double to put a pair of unearned runs. With the winning run at the plate, Bailey got Jessica Rose to fly out to left and the Lady Flames escaped with a, 6-4, win.

Smith led the offense with her 3-for-4 day. Ava Perkins went 2-for-3 with an RBI, and Jarvi had a pair of RBIs.

Riley Sullivan paced the Tigers with a 3-for-4 contest to go with a pair of RBIs. 

Layne Bailey got the complete game win, allowing 11 hits, four runs, two earned, with five strikeouts and only walked two.

Eleanor De Block was tagged with the loss going six innings, giving up seven hits, five runs, two earned, while walking six, and striking out five.

GAME TWO:
West Alabama got on the board with a Marissa Mitchell two-run shot in the first and never looked back. 

Lee cut the lead to two in the third as Ava Perkins hit her eighth home run of the season.

The Tigers tacked on three more in the third, and Jarvi singled home Riley Price to wrap up the scoring in the seventh and fall, 6-2.

Jarvi paced the offense, going 2-for-3 with an RBI. Ana Macha, Price, and Perkins all recorded one hit each. 

Natalie Pruitt Geesey got the loss, pitching three innings, giving up seven hits, six runs, and a walk.

Madison Wright got the complete game win for the Tigers, scattering five hits, two runs, and a walk, while striking out four.

Haley Shannon and Taylor Clegg had two hits each to lead West Alabama, while Mitchell and Riley Sullivan had a pair of RBIs each.

The Lady Flames will be back in action next Friday, April 25, as they begin their last conference series of the season with Trevecca Nazarene. First pitch is scheduled for 5 p.m.

Coach Emily Russell's Thoughts: 
"We scratched one out today and had chances in the other 2 games this weekend. We let them jump out in both losses, and had to fight from behind and couldn't quite catch them. We had chances with bases loaded and didn't capitalize. It's tough to look back and know we left runs out there. We had some bright spots in Layne's pitching performance as well as a good weekend at the plate from Javaria."