MONTGOMERY, Ala. (February 8, 2025) – The North Alabama softball team is off to a 4-0 start for the third straight season, adding two more wins at the Stinger Classic in Montgomery, Ala. with a 14-3 win over Nicholls State and a 6-4 win in extra innings over Alabama State on Saturday.
 
The highlight of the day came from sophomore Briley Dover, who finished 5-for-5 in the first game with a single, a double, two triples and a home run in the final inning. She became the first player in the program's Division I history to hit for the cycle, hit two triples in the same game and record five hits in a game.
 
After going hitless in the first two games, Dover now has seven hits and leads the Lions with a .467 batting average.
 
Another key player in the first four games has been senior Lillyanna Cartee, who has hit safely in all four games. She is currently batting .462 with at least one hit in every game, including a 3-for-4 day against Nicholls State on Saturday. Junior Jorja Roberson is the other Lion with one hit in every game so far, as she rocks a .364 batting average.
 
Following her complete game shutout of Alabama State last night, junior Emily Simon pitched in relief and earned a win in the Saturday opener and a save in the nightcap. She has factored into three of the four wins so far for UNA. She has a perfect 0.00 ERA over 12.0 innings with two walks and 10 strikeouts.
 
Junior catcher Natalie Shaw had her first memorable moment as a Lion in the nightcap, scoring the winning runs with a two-RBI single in extra innings for a 6-4 win.
 
In the first game, UNA tied a Division I school record with 18 hits — set three other times in 2022 and 2023. The last time UNA had more than that came during the final year of Division II competition in 2018 with 21 hits against Albany State.
 
The Lions start with a 4-0 record for a third straight season. Nicholls State finishes the tournament with a 2-2 record. Alabama State enters the final game against UNA on Sunday with an 0-4 record.
 
Game 1 — North Alabama 14, Nicholls State 3
 
The Lions allowed two runs in the first inning, but the offense more than made up for it with 11 runs in the final three innings to win 14-3 against Nicholls State.
 
UNA had 18 hits, which marked the most since recording 18 against Jacksonville on May 9, 2023 during the ASUN Championship. Dover broke the Division I school record with a five-hit day, including a homer in the seventh to finish the cycle. The meat of the order — Hailey Jones, Laura Leigh Wheeler and Cartee — finished with three hits apiece for nine as a collective.
 
The most entertaining inning was the last one, as UNA doubled a 7-3 lead with seven more runs on four homers. Bayleigh Rouse was the first to strike with a deep shot to center, followed by Dover, Wheeler and junior outfielder Jorja Roberson. Those home runs came from the two-four-six spots in the lineup.
 
UNA had a response for every Nicholls State run early in the game. This included an RBI single by Jones to score Dover in the top of the third to make it 3-3.
 
Athens native and Wallace State transfer Katie Simon got the start in the circle, limiting the three runs during her time in the game. Her twin sister and hero from yesterday, Emily Simon, entered in relief and pitched four shutout and hitless innings for the win. True freshman Kaylee Snyder tossed the final inning and gave up one hit, but nothing else in the seventh.
 
The go-ahead run was scored in the fifth on a bases loaded walk to Cartee. Roberson brought home another with an RBI fielder's choice. Two more scored in the sixth to make it 7-3, including an RBI triple by Dover to score leadoff hitter Gyvan Hammons. Dover scored on an RBI groundout by Jones.
 
Pitchers of Record
W – Emily Simon (2-0)
L –  Molly Yoo (0-1)
S – None
 
Game 2 —North Alabama 6, Alabama State 4 (8 innings)
 
North Alabama produced three runs in the opening frame, but Alabama State roared back with three runs in the final inning to send the game to extras at 4-4. Junior catcher Natalie Shaw had the clutch hit in extra innings, driving home a pair with a two-RBI single to lead UNA to a 6-4 win in the nightcap.
 
Senior ace Alivia Wilken had a lot of early success, shutting down the Hornets with just one run allowed and five strikeouts over the first six innings. The Hornets figured her out in the seventh, tying the game with a two-RBI single.
 
The three-run inning was started by a walk to Hammons and a single by Dover. Jones capitalized on the runners with an RBI double. She was followed by a sacrifice fly from Wheeler to score Dover and an RBI single by Cartee to score Jones.
 
Wilken had three strikeouts in the first three innings, but the Hornets finally cracked the code in the fourth with an RBI double by Kelsey Long. From that point on, Wilken retired eight straight with a strikeout to end the inning and three-up, three-down innings in the fifth and sixth.
 
UNA added insurance in the seventh with an RBI fielder's choice by Jones, who grounded to first and allowed Dover to slide in under the throw to the plate. Dover reached on a leadoff single and moved to third on a pair of wild pitches.
 
The bottom of the seventh got testy for Wilken, as she recorded an out then allowed two baserunners. However, the senior found the outside corner for a swinging strikeout to put ASU in survival mode. The Hornets stayed alive with an infield single to load the bases and a bobbled attempt at a force out to score a run. The tying run scored on a two-RBI single by Talee Sims. Wilken forced a groundout to strand the winning run at third base.
 
Shaw played hero in the eighth, hitting the two-RBI single that scored Rouse and junior Katie Davis. Both runners reached on back-to-back one-out singles. Emily Simon entered in the bottom half to close it out, retiring three in a row for the save.
 
Seven Lions recorded a hit, including Dover with two hits and two runs.
 
Pitchers of Record
W – Alivia Wilken (2-0)
L –  Kohana Pousson (0-2)
S – Emily Simon (1)
 
COMING UP NEXT
 
The Lions will close the Stinger Classic tomorrow with Alabama State at 12 p.m.
 
For more information on North Alabama Athletics, visit www.roarlions.com and follow UNA Athletics on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.