OXFORD, Ala. – All guts, and Goree.

That's served as the rallying cry for the University of West Georgia softball team over the first day and a half of the Gulf South Conference Tournament.

On the heels of hurling a 10-inning marathon in Thursday's opener against No. 4 West Florida, senior standout Morgan Goree dazzled once again in an 8-0 victory over No. 3 Alabama-Huntsville on Friday afternoon to advance into this evening's showdown with No. 6 Mississippi College at 7 p.m. for the right to move on to championship Saturday at Choccolocco Park.

Goree had a no-hitter through five innings until UAH right fielder Shelby Booker connected for a leadoff single in the bottom of the sixth. After eclipsing the 100-pitch count again upon getting the first out of the sixth inning, UWG head coach Al Thomas summoned senior Lexi Close from the bullpen to relieve his senior workhorse.

Goree, who fired 171 pitches in the 10-inning thriller on Thursday, tallied 101 pitches in 5.1 shutout frames on Friday against the Chargers (31-12), yielding just the one hit with four walks and 10 strikeouts. In the process, Goree moved into second all-time in career strikeouts at UWG with 353. 

Close worked the final 1.2 innings to seal the deal, yielding no runs on no hits with one walk and three strikeouts.

With Goree dealing in the circle, her offense was doing its part in the box, scoring eight runs on 12 hits with five walks, sparked by smashing home a trio of runs right out of the gate courtesy of a three-run bomb by senior first baseman Cassie Henderson.

The No. 5 Wolves (25-15) stretched the lead to 4-0 in the third after sophomore second baseman Kristyn Nix doubled and scored on an RBI sacrifice bunt by senior center fielder Hannah Scarbrough.

West Georgia kept its foot on the gas with two more runs in the fifth behind back-to-back RBI doubles from Scarbrough and sophomore left fielder Chandler Mevis and Henderson continued her solid day at the plate with an RBI base knock in the sixth.

Nix drove home the final run of the game for the Wolves on an RBI single in the top of the seventh.

Scarbrough (2-for-3, 2B, run, 2 RBI), Henderson (2-for-4, HR, 4 RBI), Mevis (2-for-4, 2 2B, RBI) and Nix (2-for-4, BB, 2B, 2 runs, RBI) all had multiple-hit efforts for West Georgia, while senior shortstop Alley Taylor reached base four times from the leadoff spot with a single and three walks.

The Wolves return to the diamond this evening for a matchup with Mississippi College, which upset No. 3 UAH and No. 2 Valdosta State on Thursday. The other evening contest pits No. 1 Auburn Montgomery against VSU. MC and AUM are the only unbeaten teams remaining thus far in the double-elimination tournament.