FLORENCE, Ala. (March 9, 2024) – The University of North Alabama softball team put on another entertaining performance Saturday at the UNA Invitational in Florence, stacking two more wins against Murray State and Maryland Eastern Shore at Hilda B. Anderson Softball Stadium.
The Lions started with a 5-1 win over the Racers in the 3 p.m. game, completing the two-game season sweep against Murray State and improving to 7-0 all-time against the Racers since 2019. UNA rematched UMES in the nightcap, walking it off in the fifth for an 11-3 victory.
UNA improves to an 18-8 overall record heading into Atlantic Sun Conference play next weekend against Lipscomb. For the home invitational, UNA exits with a 4-2 record. In five round robin tournaments this season, UNA has left with at least three wins and no more than two losses.
Over six games, UNA out-hit opponents 59-30 and out-scored opponents 36-18. The Lions also tallied 22 multi-base hits, including eight homers. Three of those eight came from junior infielder Hailey Jones, who hit at least one homer each of the last three days. She finished 9-for-20 this week with five multi-base hits and a team-high 11 RBIs.
Senior outfielder Felicity Frame was nearly impossible to keep off the bags, going 13-for-19 this week for a .684 batting average. She also drew three walks to support a .727 on-base percentage. She went 5-for-5 on stolen bases.
True freshman Briley Dover was also a key contributor this week, going 8-for-16 with a double, a homer and seven total RBI.
The Lions were also sound in the circle, as the Lions allowed a total of 18 runs to average three runs per game. Nine of the 18 were scattered over five games. UNA used five pitchers over the six games to limit opponents to a .219 batting average, while posting a 31 strikeout to 10 walk ratio. Four different pitchers earned winning decisions for North Alabama this weekend.
Game 1 — North Alabama 5, Murray State 1
The first inning of game one set the tone for the entire day, as junior pitcher Alivia Wilken struck out the side and the offense posted five runs en route to a 5-1 victory.
Wilken fanned all three of Murray State's leadoff hitters on missed swings, showing early command. The lefty finished 7.0 innings with just one run allowed over three hits with no walks and five strikeouts. Wilken improves to 8-4 in the circle and has nine complete games.
Frame started the offensive explosion in the first inning with an infield single. After a Sydney Harris walk put two on, senior infielder Haven Kirby beat out a single and scored Frame in the process. With Kirby and Harris both on, Dover flipped the game upside down with a three-run shot to left field. This forced Murray State to go to the bullpen earlier than expected.
Up 4-0, true freshman Emma Kate Wright made her first home at-bat a memorable one with an RBI double to score Farnetti. The Mars Hill graduate cracked it off the bat and forced the Murray State left fielder into an un-routine play that hit off the glove and rolled to the wall.
Murray State notched one run in the third, but nothing else as Wilken allowed just one other base runner after that and retired the final nine in order.
Frame went 3-for-4 at the plate, while Dover led with three RBIs.
Pitchers of Record
W – Alivia Wilken (8-4)
L – Kaleigh White (2-1)
S – None
Game 2 — North Alabama 11, Maryland Eastern Shore 3 (5 innings)
The Lions were stunned early with three runs allowed, but the offense did its thing and tallied 11 unanswered to force the fifth inning mercy rule. The final blow came from Wright, who hit her first collegiate homer to walk it off.
The Hawks had a two-out double and a two-run homer back-to-back, taking a 3-0 lead into the bottom of the first. That lead lasted until the third inning, as the Lions answered with one in the first on a Jones sac fly to score Frame and make it 3-1.
Junior two-way player Cassidy Duskin came into pitch after the first inning and pitched a 4.0 inning no-hitter to shut down UMES the rest of the way. She did not allow a single base runner and struck out three in her appearance.
The bottom of the third is where momentum began to shift, as a dropped fly ball in right field started a cascade of runs. Jones hit her third homer of the day to flip the lead, scoring Grace Gregory and Frame with a three-run jack to right center. Lillyanna Cartee came up later and hit an RBI triple to bring in Dover.
The fourth inning brought three more runs to extend the lead, including a one-out double by Gregory to set up an RBI single by Frame. Frame, who beat an errant throw, moved up two more bases on the miscue. Three more singles by Harris, Jones and Kirby resulted in an 8-3 lead.
Needing just three runs to end it, UNA sent just three hitters to the plate in the fifth. Cartee was the first, hitting a solo shot into deep center field. Jaiden Farnetti, who took over at shortstop for the final four innings, followed with a single to right field. Enter Wright, who jacked a two-run shot to send the crowd home early in a game that ended in one hour and 25 minutes.
Frame once again led with a perfect 3-for-3 day, scoring all three times. Jones went 2-for-2 with five RBIs, while Harris and Cartee completed multi-hit days.
Pitchers of Record
W – Cassidy Duskin (6-3)
L – Ameenah Ballenger (3-4)
S – None
COMING UP NEXT
The Lions look ahead to next weekend, opening ASUN play at home against Lipscomb. The series begins Saturday, March 16 with a 2 p.m. doubleheader and ends with a 1 p.m. finale Sunday. UNA closes a long home stand next Tuesday, March 20 against Tennessee State.
For more information on North Alabama Athletics, visit www.roarlions.com and follow UNA Athletics on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
