BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (February 24, 2024) – The University of North Alabama softball team finished a successful Green & Gold Classic with a 3-1 record, splitting the final day with a win over tournament host UAB and a late loss to No. 10 Alabama on Saturday in Birmingham.
For the third straight tournament, UNA finishes with at least three wins. The Lions also have five wins against in-state opponents, including two against Samford and one against UAB, Troy and Jacksonville State.
The first game took extra innings to decide, as the Lions rallied in the eighth with four runs to defeat UAB with a 4-0 shutout. In the nightcap, UNA rematched the nationally-ranked Crimson Tide and led on two occasions, but a four-run rally led Bama to an 8-3 win.
Junior pitcher Alivia Wilken and senior infielder Haven Kirby highlighted the first game, as Wilken tossed an 8.0 inning shutout while Kirby put the exclamation point on things with a two-run homer in the eighth.
Offensively, UNA had 10 hits from seven different players over two games. Kirby joined true freshman Briley Dover and junior infielder Lillyanna Cartee with one hit in each game, including a two-RBI triple for Cartee in the Bama game. Cartee has hit safely in the last three games for her first career hits at UNA.
Game 1 —North Alabama 4, UAB 0 (8 innings)
The first game of the day was an electrifying pitcher's duel between two former Wallace State Community College standouts in Wilken and UAB's Leigha Kirby. In the end, Wilken preserved the shutout in extra innings for a 4-0 victory.
Both teams mustered just three hits over seven innings and stranded four runners on base. The tide began to turn in the eighth, as a leadoff error by UAB sparked a rally for UNA. With two on and one out, Sydney Harris hit a two-RBI single to break through.
The Lions got even more insurance with two outs, as shortstop Haven Kirby launched a two-run shot to left field to send the UNA dugout into pandemonium.
UAB attempted a rally of its own with a leadoff single, but Wilken got three straight outs after that to finish the shutout. Wilken allowed just four hits with two walks while adding two strikeouts. She now owns a 6-2 record and 1.36 ERA over 51.1 innings.
Pitchers of Record
W – Alivia Wilken (6-2)
L – Leigha Kirby (2-4)
S – None
Game 2 — No. 10 Alabama 8, North Alabama 3
Junior Cassidy Duskin got the nod against Alabama after coming in as a reliever on Wednesday in Tuscaloosa. Duskin started strong with two scoreless frames, but exited in the fourth as Bama rallied to take a 4-3 lead.
Meanwhile, the Lions faced a familiar foe in Central Arkansas transfer Kayla Beaver. In the third inning, UNA struck first as McKenzie Patterson was hit by a pitch. She moved up on a groundout and later scored on an error to make it 1-0. Alabama tied it with an RBI double in the third.
The Lions tacked on two more runs in the fourth after back-to-back hits by Kirby and Dover netted a couple of base runners. Kirby was thrown out at home on a double by Dover, but Dover remained on and senior teammate Sidney Bevis was hit by a pitch to put two on. This brought up Cartee, who ripped a triple to bring in both runners.
Clinging to a 3-1 lead, the Lions got a strikeout from Duskin, but the Tide struck for three runs on two hits and took back the lead. This brought about the debut of Louisiana transfer Kyleigh Pitzer, who got the final two outs and later pitched a scoreless fifth.
Alabama rallied for four runs in the sixth on a three-run shot by Abby Duchscherer and a solo home run by Marlie Giles. In the seventh, Bevis drew a leadoff walk on new pitcher Jaala Torrence, but was stranded to end the game.
Pitchers of Record
W – Kayla Beaver (5-0)
L – Cassidy Duskin (4-2)
S – None
COMING UP NEXT
Next weekend, the Lions will face Bradley, Army and Middle Tennessee State at the MTSU Invitational in Murfreesboro, Tenn.
For more information on North Alabama Athletics, visit www.roarlions.com and follow UNA Athletics on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
