NASHVILLE, Tenn. (March 16, 2025) – The University of North Alabama softball team ended its first conference doubleheader of the season with a 13 run inning, finishing a road split with Lipscomb on Sunday in Nashville.
After falling 5-4 in the Atlantic Sun Conference opener, North Alabama responded with a dominant 16-0 win. UNA improves to 20-6 overall, while Lipscomb becomes 13-12. Both teams start 1-1 in ASUN play with the series finale looming tomorrow at 1 p.m.
In the sixth inning, UNA rattled off 13 runs for the largest scoring inning of the Division I era. The last time UNA scored 13 or more runs in an inning was the 2016 Gulf South Conference Championship Game, as the Lions scored 18 runs in the fourth inning of a 19-9 win against Valdosta State.
The 16 runs are also the second-most in the program's Division I history. The most came in against Tarleton State in 2022 during the National Invitational Softball Championship. UNA also scored 16 runs against Alabama State in 2021.
Game 1 — Lipscomb 5, North Alabama 4
A dramatic seventh inning ended in favor of the Bisons, winning 5-4 with a walk-off single from Tori Womack in the ASUN opener.
Lipscomb added runs in the first and second inning, but UNA tied it in the fourth with two runs. This tie lasted through the sixth inning.
Senior
Hailey Jones was robbed of a leadoff homer, but junior
Laura Leigh Wheeler and sophomore
Bayleigh Rouse made up for it with a pair of hits to put runners in scoring position. Senior
Ryleigh Boyett brought them both home with a fielder's choice, scoring Wheeler and allowing Rouse to cross on a throwing error.
Tied 2-2 in the seventh, Jones avenged her robbed homer with an RBI double, scoring
Kylei Russell, but
Briley Dover was tagged out trying to score a second run for the Lions. In the next at-bat,
Katie Davis scored on a passed ball. Lipscomb escaped the bases loaded jam with a groundout.
A leadoff homer by Lipscomb made it 4-3 in the bottom of the seventh, then three more singles brought home the tying run. After
Katie Simon struck out a pair to make it two outs with the bases loaded, Womack singled through the right side to end it.
All six Lions in the top two-thirds of the order had at least one hit, including multi-hit days from Dover, Boyett and Wheeler. Both teams finished with 10 hits on the day.
Senior ace
Alivia Wilken left the game in a 2-2 tie with four strikeouts, while Simon pitched the final 3.2 innings with six strikeouts.
Pitchers of Record
W – Courtney Sauer (2-3)
L –
Katie Simon (6-3)
S – None
Game 2 — North Alabama 16, Lipscomb 0
Junior
Emily Simon pitched a 6.0 inning shutout with just two hits and one walk allowed to go with five strikeouts. And Simon had plenty of offense to help her cause in a 16-0 win.
Back-to-back doubles by Jones gave UNA a 2-0 lead in the third inning, then a double by Rouse added another run. The 3-0 scored held until the fifth inning, as a motivated UNA team came out and thrashed the Bisons with 13 more runs.
The madness started with a two-run homer by Rouse, followed by six more scoring plays. An RBI groundout and one of five Lipscomb errors allowed two more to score for a 7-0 lead. The final nine runs came on five swings of the bat.
The rally continued with a two-RBI triple by
Hailey Jones, an RBI single by Wheeler, a three-run homer by Boyett and singles by
Natalie Shaw and Dover.
UNA finished with 10 hits after a pair of official scoring changes. Jones went 3-for-4 with two runs and four RBI. Rouse and Boyett had two hits with two runs and three RBI apiece.
Pitchers of Record
W –
Emily Simon (7-2)
L – Ryleigh Sapp (3-3)
S – None
COMING UP NEXT
UNA closes the series on Monday at 1 p.m.
For more information on North Alabama Athletics, visit www.roarlions.com and follow UNA Athletics on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
