CHARLOTTE, N.C. (March 25, 2024) – The University of North Alabama softball team completed a rare feat Monday, finishing a three-game conference set at Queens with three consecutive shutouts following a 9-0 win in the series finale in Charlotte, N.C.
One day after complete game shutouts by Alivia Wilken and Cassidy Duskin, redshirt freshman Kyleigh Pitzer took the circle for UNA and finished what they started. She completed 7.0 scoreless innings with just four hits allowed, while walking three with one strikeout.
The Lions improved to an impressive 24-9 overall record while moving to 5-1 in Atlantic Sun Conference games. Queens falls to 11-5 overall and 0-6 in the conference.
Monday marks the second time UNA has shutout an ASUN opponent in all three games of a series. The first time happened last season against Kennesaw State. This weekend, UNA outscored Queens by a combined score of 16-0.
Pitzer and the UNA defense showed extreme resilience, as Queens stranded nine runners on base. The Royals left the bases loaded in the second inning and stranded runners in scoring position in the third, fourth and sixth. Each time, Pitzer forced the final out.
While the pitching persisted, the UNA offense took the stress off early with a four-run first inning. The Lions also added a pair in the third, one in the fifth and two more in the seventh to put the game out of reach.
The UNA offense totaled 12 hits, including three-hit days from Felicity Frame and Sydney Harris. Harris and senior shortstop Haven Kirby contributed three RBIs. The entire top seven in the lineup scored at least once on Monday.
For the second straight day, junior first baseman Lillyanna Cartee had a two-hit day, including a double and an RBI single. She also had a sac fly in the first inning. Senior outfielder Sidney Bevis also had two hits.
UNA opened the game with back-to-back singles from Frame and Bevis, then Hailey Jones reached on a throwing error. This brought up Kirby with the bases full and nobody out, who ripped a double to promptly unload the bases. Cartee brought home Kirby with a sac fly to make it 4-0 in the first inning.
Cartee had an infield single to score Bevis in her next at-bat, then Harris had a similar hit to score Jones. UNA added one more in the fifth with another infield single by Harris to score true freshman Briley Dover. Though she did not have a hit, Dover extended her on-base streak to 13 games with a walk and a run.
Harris had her third RBI hit of the day for some seventh inning insurance, scoring Cartee after she reached on a double. Frame had her third hit of the day a bit later to score Harris for the ninth and final run.
Pitzer allowed a two-out walk in the seventh, but nothing else as she got the final flyout and secured the shutout.
The Lions return to action this coming weekend for a three-game series at EKU. The series begins with a Friday doubleheader March 29 at noon CT and concludes Saturday, March 30 at noon.
For more information on North Alabama Athletics, visit www.roarlions.com and follow UNA Athletics on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
