CONWAY, Ark. -- Despite scoring five runs in the ninth inning, the University of North Alabama came out on the short end of an 18-9 score to Central Arkansas in the first game of an ASUN Conference baseball series.

The Lions allowed nine runs in the third inning and trailed 15-1, then 18-4 before putting on a late rally. UNA scored five runs on six hits in the ninth inning and left two runners on base before reliever Jack Haley got Levi Jensen to ground out to end the threat.

UNA is now 9-33 overall and 2-20 in ASUN play.

Central Arkansas scored two runs in the first inning before UNA got on the board with a run in the third.

Cal Cook singled, was sacrificed to second and scored on a Jonathan Lane RBI-single.

The Bears responded with nine runs in the bottom of the third and four in the fifth for a 15-1 lead.

UNA got two more runs in the sixth as Dominick McIntyre singled, Luke Harper doubled and Lane followed wih a sacrifice fly. Devne Daniel then singled in Harper for the second run.

In the seventh, Jensen singled, Cook doubled and McIntyre drove in a run with a sacrifice fly.

UCA added three runs in the eighth to make it 18-4.

In the ninth for UNA, Jensen led off with a single, cook walked and McIntyre singled to load the bases. Harper's RBI-single made it 18-5 and Daniel had a three-run double with two outs to make it 18-8. The final run came on a Reid Homan RBI-single that scored Daniel.

Harper extended his current hitting streak to 18 games and has now reached base 20 games in a row.

Austin Nichols took the loss for UNA. He allowed 11 runs on 10 hits over three innings.

The Lions and Bears play the second game of the series on Saturday at 6:00 p.m.