TOURNAMENT BRACKET

DELAND, Fla. -- With a 2-0 shutout win over 18th ranked Central Arkansas, the University of North Alabama softball team has advanced to the semifinals of the 2023 ASUN Conference Softball Tournament.

The Lions, now 33-14-1, have gone 3-0 in the tournament and will face second seeded Liberty at 11:30 a.m. Friday in the double-elimination tournament.  

North Alabama got the only runs it would need in the game in the top of the first inning. Felicity Frame got a leadoff single and Sidney Bevis sacrificed her to second base. With two outs, Georgia Land singled in Frame, and Gracie Benton followed with an RBI-double.

In a pitcher's duel, both teams were held to four hits each, with the Lions getting three of theirs in the first inning.

UNA starter Maci Birdyshaw threw a complete-game shutout, pitching seven innings and allowing no runs on four hits with no walks and six strikeouts. It was her 12th win of the season (12-6) and her fourth shutout of the year. Birdyshaw also picked up UNA's win in Wednesday's win over FGCU.

Central Arkansas went 22-2 in the ASUN Conference in the regular season, with one of those losses to UNA and Birdyshaw.

UNA's win was the first by a Lion softball team over a nationally ranked team on the NCAA Division I level in five tries.

The Lions were able to get revenge for a loss to Central Arkansas in the 2022 Championship that eliminated UNA from the tournament.

Central Arkansas also became the first #1 seed to open the ASUN Tournament with a loss since USC Upstate lost to #4 Mercer in 2014.