FLORENCE
– Lindsey Bates went 5-for-7 with five RBI
on the day to lead the North Alabama
softball team to a pair of home wins over
West Alabama Sunday afternoon.
After going
3-for-3 during an 8-2 win in the first game,
the senior from Decatur drove in the winning
runs with a two-out, two-run double in the
bottom of the sixth inning to give the Lions
a 6-4 victory in game two.
The sweep gives
UNA an 18-13 overall record with a 6-4 mark
in conference play.
The Lions are
now tied with West Florida for third place
in the GSC standings.
West Alabama
falls to 19-20, 1-9.
In the first
game, Bates went 3-for-3 at the plate with a
trio of RBI. After UNA scored single runs in
the bottom of the second and third innings,
the Tigers rallied to tie the score with a
pair of runs in the top of the fourth. The
Lions responded in the bottom of the inning
by sending eight batters to the plate and
scoring three runs to take the lead for
good.
Another
three-run sixth inning made the final score
8-2. Andrea Palmer also had a solid game at
the plate, going 2-for-4 with a run scored.
Megan Niesel improved to 10-4 on the year by
scattering six hits and recording six
strikeouts in seven innings of work.
In the second
game, the Lions fought off a UWA rally with
one of their own to secure the win. After
scoring two runs in the bottom of the first
inning, UNA led most of the game until the
West Alabama put together a four-run fifth.
Angela Smith
highlighted the inning for UWA with a
two-run home run as the Tigers took a 6-4
lead.
The Lions
answered in the bottom of the inning with an
RBI-single by Jennifer Sharp. Bates then
scored on an error to tie the score at 4-4.
In the sixth UNA got the winning runs when
Bates drove in Sarah Whitlow and Lindsey
Greene with her double to right center
field.
Sabrina Roberts
came on in relief of freshman Anna Ard to
earn the pitching victory. The senior
pitched the last 2.2 innings, getting two
strikeouts and allowing only a single hit to
improve to 6-3 on the season.
The Lions will
continue their GSC homestand next weekend by
hosting West Florida and Valdosta State. UNA
will play a double-header against the
Argonauts Saturday at 5 p.m. before facing
the Blazers the next day beginning at 1 p.m.
Printable Game
Statistics - West Alabama - Game 30
Printable Game
Statistics - West Alabama - Game 31
