FLORENCE
-- The University of North Alabama baseball
team opened its 2008 campaign in style at
the newly renovated University Field
Saturday as the Lions downed
Arkansas-Monticello 13-2 and 18-4. UNA
scored its 31 runs on 30 hits and also took
advantage of 16 errors by the Boll Weevils.
With the sweep,
UNA is now 2-0 while UAM falls to 0-5.
Senior first
baseman Josh Graham sparked UNA in the
opener, going four-for-four and homering in
his first at bat. Graham struggled out of
the gate in 2007 before finishing strong to
lead the Lions in homers and RBI.
Saturday he was six-for-six with four runs
scored and two RBI.
Junior
outfielder Jeffrey Ritter led the onslaught
in the nightcap, going four-for-five with a
school-record tying eight RBI.
In the opener,
UNA scored two runs in the first, three in
the second and two in the third for a 7-0
lead. Lion pitcher Jeff Schafer (1-0)
carried a no-hitter into the fifth inning
before the Boll Weevils managed to score
single runs in the fifth and six. UNA
countered with two runs in the bottom of the
sixth and four more in the seventh to end
the game.
Schafer allowed
two runs on four hits in 5 2/3 innings. He
walked one and struckout six.
Nick Newberry
and Ritter had three hits each in game one
and Cole Mitchell drove in three runs.
In the second
game, UNA scored 11 runs in the first inning
on a combination of seven Lion hits and six
UAM errors.
Brennen
Auerbach (1-0), the first of five Lion
pitchers in the game, got the win in four
innings of work. He allowed two runs on four
hits and struckout two. UAM's Kyle Thaxton
allowed 12 runs on eight hits in just one
inning of work. Ten of UNA's 11 runs in the
first inning were unearned.
Collin Murphy
and Kyle Jones had three hits each for UNA
in the second game.
With the two
wins, UNA head coach Mike Lane now has 996
career victories as a head coach and has won
881 wins in 25 seasons at North Alabama.
North Alabama
host Arkansas-Monticello again Sunday in a
single game at 1 p.m. The Lions then travel
to Christian Brothers on Tuesday.
Printable Game
Statistics - Game 1 - Arkansas-Monticello
Printable Game
Statistics - Game 2 - Arkansas-Monticello
