CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (February 15, 2025) – The University of North Alabama softball team continued its red-hot start to the season with a pair of shutout wins on Saturday against Chattanooga and Lindenwood at the Chattanooga Challenge.
The Lions (9-0) won their ninth straight game, marking the longest win streak of the program's seven-year Division I era. The previous long was an eight-game win streak in 2023. The all-time record was set in 2016 with 18 consecutive wins.
Speaking of 2016 — the year of UNA's NCAA Division II National Championship victory — UNA is one win away from matching the best start to a season since then.
Today's victories were headlined by shutouts from senior
Alivia Wilken and junior
Katie Simon — both of which started their careers at Wallace State. The pair combined for 12.0 innings with just five hits allowed over two games. The pair also had just four walks to go with 10 strikeouts.
Senior
Hailey Jones led the Lions with a pair of two-hit days, including an RBI double against the Mocs (2-7) and an RBI triple against the Lions of Lindenwood (4-4). UNA outhit its opponents 18-5 in the two games.
Game 1 — North Alabama 5, Chattanooga 0
UNA swept its two meetings with the defending Southern Conference champions, winning Saturday's game by a 5-0 final.
UNA head coach
Ashley Cozart handed the ball to Wilken for the start, who cruised to her fourth win and first shutout of the season. In her second season at UNA, Wilken now has 22 wins and 10 complete game shutouts.
The former Buckhorn High School ace twirled a one-hitter heading into the seventh inning. Chattanooga hit a pair of singles and drew a walk in the bottom of the seventh to load the bases, but Wilken stranded all three with a forced grounder to
Bayleigh Rouse, who threw it home to
Natalie Shaw for the out at the plate. This stranded the tying run on deck and maintained the shutout.
Offensively, the Lions posted nine hits from the top five hitters in the lineup.
The ultimate go-ahead run came just four batters in, as junior
Laura Leigh Wheeler singled through the left side to score sophomore
Briley Dover. UNA did not score again until the fifth, as a two-out single by
Gyvan Hammons led to an RBI single by
Hailey Jones.
Ahead 2-0 heading to the final inning, the Lions added three insurance runs on an RBI double by Jones, an RBI single by Wheeler and another double by senior
Lillyanna Cartee that allowed Wheeler to round third and score on a catcher's obstruction. The 5-0 lead proved to be enough in a tightly contested bottom half.
Pitchers of Record
W –
Alivia Wilken (4-0)
L – Riley Lamb (0-2)
S – None
Game 2 —North Alabama 8, Lindenwood 0 (5 innings)
UNA applied a five-inning mercy rule for the third time this season — and the second time against Lindenwood — with an 8-0 win in Saturday's nightcap.
Junior transfer
Katie Simon took the circle for UNA's Chattanooga Challenge finale and posted her second straight five-inning shutout. In the last two starts, the Athens High School and Wallace State product has pitched 10.0 innings and allowed just three hits and two walks to go with 13 strikeouts. She threw 79 pitches against Lindenwood.
Simon's shutout performance was met with stellar offense from her teammates, as the Lions recorded another nine-hit game. Jones went 2-for-3 with an RBI triple, while
Jorja Roberson and
Katie Davis held down the bottom of the order with a pair of two-hit games. Roberson added a pair of runs.
The go-ahead run came from UNA's leadoff hitter, Hammons, who reached on an error and scored on Jones's triple. Simon got even more run support in the second inning with a two-RBI hit by Davis and an RBI groundout by Hammons.
UNA walked it off in the fifth inning with an eight run lead, erupting for a quartet of runs. Jones and Wheeler started the string of runs with back-to-back singles, then Jones scored on an error and Wheeler came in on a sac fly by Rouse. This brought up catcher
Natalie Shaw, who walked it off with a two-RBI single up the middle.
Kylei Russell scored one of the last two runs after pinch running for Cartee and stealing second to set the table for Shaw. Davis also reached on a bunt single and scored the clinching run.
Pitchers of Record
W –
Katie Simon (2-0)
L – Ryleigh Owens (1-1)
S – None
COMING UP NEXT
The Lions will play in the first-of-its-kind Rocket City Showcase next week, a softball tournament hosted at Toyota Field by the Rocket City Trash Pandas and the Huntsville Sports Commission. The fun starts Thursday, Feb. 20 against Mississippi State.
UNA will play five games in the showcase, including three SEC opponents — Mississippi State, Ole Miss and Auburn. UNA will also play ETSU at UAH's Charger Park and will close the event back at Toyota Field against Jacksonville State on Sunday night.
For more information on North Alabama Athletics, visit www.roarlions.com and follow UNA Athletics on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
