FLORENCE – The University of North Alabama baseball team opened its 2016 season with a double-header sweep of Miles at Mike Lane Field, taking the opener 6-1 and the nightcap 8-2.
UNA out-hit the Golden Bears 22-6 in the two games, with senior
Kevin Hall leading the way with a five-for-six performance that included three runs scored, two runs batted in and two stolen bases.
Todd Gibson and
Taylor Knight combined to limit Miles to two hits and just seven base-runners in the opener. Gibson got the win, allowing no runs on two hits over six innings with one walk and six strikeouts. Knight pitched one inning, allowing a run on a ground-out after walking the bases loaded.
UNA scored two runs in the first inning on a sacrifice fly by
Kyle Hubbuch and an RBI-single from
Dylan Calhoun. The Lions then added three more runs in the second as
Taylor Hayes hit a leadoff home run,
Kyle Crabtree had an RBI-double and Hall single in Crabtree. The final UNA run came in the sixth when
Jess Smith reached on an error and later scored on a sacrifice fly by
Chris Blakey.
The Lions rolled early in game two as well as UNA took a 7-0 lead after just three innings. Hall doubled in the first inning and scored on a double by Hubbuch. Hubbuch then scored on an RBI-single by
Brandon Pugh.
Peyton Sockwell singled in his first collegiate at bat to start the second inning and later scored on a single by Hall. UNA added four more runs in the third as Sockwell picked on an RBI on a single and Blakey drove in two runs with a triple. Blakey then scored on a throwing error to make it 7-0.
Miles got a run in the fourth and added another in the sixth to cut UNA's lead to 7-2 but the Lions got an insurance run back in the bottom of the sixth when Hall singled and later scored on an RBI-single from Calhoun.
Starter
Bradley Bailey pitched five and two-thirds innings to get the win. He allowed two runs on three hits with no walks and five strikeouts.
Dylan Stewart pitched the final inning and a third, giving up one hit and striking out two.
UNA hosts Stillman College Sunday at 1 p.m. in a double-header at Mike Lane Field.
Former UNA All-American and 11-year Major League veteran Josh Willingham threw out the 2016 Opening Pitch.
Brandon Pugh
Bradley Bailey
Dylan Calhoun
Jess Smith
Kyle Crabtree
Taylor Hayes
Todd Gibson
