CARROLLTON, Ga. – The University of West Georgia baseball team found itself battling through a pair of nail-biters against the No. 15 squad in the country on Sunday, rallying in the nightcap to secure a split at Cole Field.

The Wolves rebounded from the 10-6 setback in the opener with a 6-4 triumph in Game 2 against West Florida, setting the stage for a 1 p.m. rubber game on Monday.

With its win in the second game, West Georgia (15-20, 14-18 GSC) remains in a tie for the No. 8 spot in the league standings with Auburn Montgomery, which split a doubleheader against Montevallo on Sunday. Both UWG and AUM now have four games remaining in the regular season for the right to advance to the GSC Tournament.

UWG head coach Jeff Smith was proud to see his squad deliver a resilient effort against a nationally-ranked foe after the visitors rallied to pull out the win in Game 1.

"We got two quality starts in the doubleheader. We just didn't pitch well enough late in that first game," Smith said.

Here's a breakdown of Sunday's twin bill:
Game 2
Clinging to a 6-4 lead heading into the ninth inning, UWG senior Sawyer Steele redeemed himself following a tough outing in Game 1, preserving the victory by inducing a game-ending double play with the bases loaded to cap off 2.2 shutout innings of relief for the save.

"In the second game, Sawyer came in and pitched like he's capable of pitching and was able to get the save there," Smith said.

The nightcap was scoreless through three innings until the Argos (25-8, 24-8) scored on a bases-loaded RBI single by third baseman True Fontenot in the top of the fourth. In the next at-bat, shortstop Miller Hancock drove in a run on a fielder's choice with another run scoring on a throwing error for the 3-0 margin.

After being held hitless through three innings, the Wolves got the bats going in the fourth, connecting on back-to-back singles from sophomore shortstop Brody Wortham and junior third baseman Collin Moore. A pair of wild pitches brought home the first run of Game 2 for the host squad to pull UWG within 3-1.

West Georgia took the lead for good with a four-run fifth frame behind RBI singles from junior left fielder Ethan Brant, junior center fielder Jason Fointno, Wortham and Moore for the 5-3 UWG advantage.

The Wolves added an insurance run in the sixth on a fielder's choice from Fointno for his second RBI of the game.

"We're going to swing the bat. We just had to stay the course. The guys made some adjustments and we were able to get some guys in there across the plate and we played enough defense down the stretch to get the win," Smith said.

The Argos made it a two-run game in the seventh on an RBI single by center fielder Dylan Menhennett, ending the day for freshman starter Jack Rasmussen.
Steele entered the game with runners on first and second and one out and recorded a strikeout and groundout to keep it a two-run affair.

Steele had one last trick up his sleeve in the ninth to halt the Argo rally and give the Wolves a critical victory.

Rasmussen (3-1) earned the win behind 6.1 innings of work, yielding three earned runs on nine hits with three walks and five strikeouts.

"He threw well. He threw a lot of pitches through the first three innings, but he was able to settle down and get a quality start and leave the game with the lead so Sawyer could close it out," Smith said.
Wortham (2-for-3, run, RBI) and Moore (2-for-4, RBI) led West Georgia at the plate in the nightcap, as UWG senior standout Dan Oberst had his 24-game hitting streak come to an end with an 0-for-3 clip following a huge offensive effort in Game 1 on Sunday.

Game 1
The Wolves raced out to a 6-1 lead through four frames behind the blistering bat of Oberst, who connected on a two-run homer in the third and smacked a three-run double to the right-field wall in the third.

The home run was the 16^th on the season for the Largo, Florida, native, who went 3-for-5 with five RBI in Sunday's opener. Unfortunately, Oberst had his hitting streak come to an end in Game 2, marking just the fourth time all season he was held without a hit and the first instance since Feb. 27.

"Game 1 he swung the bat extremely well and had five RBI. Every team's going to pitch him tough and he's done an outstanding job this year. The big this is, we got that win (in Game 2)," Smith said.

UWG sophomore designated hitter Joe Skinner got the Wolves on the board in the second on an RBI single to plate Moore.

UWG junior right-hander Robert Coleman was rolling through the first five frames, including recording double plays in the fourth and fifth innings before the Argos started their comeback with three runs in the sixth.

The visitors took their first lead of the day in the top of the eighth, busting the game open with six runs on six hits for the four-run advantage.

After the Wolves scored six runs on nine hits through five innings against UWF starter Evan Floyd, the tandem of Alex Knight and Josh Pahlad combined for four hitless innings to close out the contest, as Knight fired three perfect innings with five strikeouts, while Pahlad worked a shutout ninth, yielding a leadoff walk and getting a double play and flyout to end the game.

Along with the three-hit effort from Oberst, Fointno (2-for-5, 2 runs) also had a multiple-hit performance for the Wolves in Game 1.

Coleman tossed 7.1 innings, allowing five earned runs on 10 hits with one walk and six strikeouts.

"Rob threw the ball extremely well, kept them off-balance and did an outstanding job," Smith said.

Now the Wolves and Argos will square off in a key Game 3 encounter on Monday with the series – and major postseason implications – on the line.

"If we pitch and play defense, we can compete with anyone. That's the thing. Injuries are hurting us right now a little bit, but the guys are competing," Smith said. "As long as we keep competing, keep working and keep doing the things that we do well, we should be all right. We should be in the game."