LOUISVILLE, Ky. (April 14, 2024) – The University of North Alabama baseball team took home the first Atlantic Sun Conference series victory of the season Sunday behind a 22-3 offensive barrage over Bellarmine.
 
The Lions move to 13-20 on the season, while the Knights move to 6-29. Both teams are now 5-10 in ASUN play.
 
The win serves as the 300th career victory for North Alabama head baseball coach Jad Prachniack, who came to UNA with 273 career wins after nine seasons at West Chester. Prachniak tallied two NCAA Division II national titles in his time at West Chester before joining the North Alabama baseball program prior to the 2023 season. Prachniak now has 27 wins with the Lions in his second season with the program.
 
The UNA offense recorded a historic weekend capped off by a 22 run showing in Sunday's series finale. The Lions set new single-game Division I program records for runs (22), hits (23), total bases (36) and margin of victory (19) on Sunday. North Alabama's 48 runs are the most in a series since UNA recorded 58 runs in a two-game set with Tuskegee in 2006. 
 
The first inning of Sunday's matchup was the lone inning without a UNA run, with the two teams trading scoreless frames. Anthony Pingeton started the day on the mound for the Lions.
 
North Alabama opened up the scoring in the second inning, using five singles and a walk to push across four runners. The Knights responded in the home half of the third, stringing together a trio of runs. Bellarmine did not score for the remainder of the game. 
 
A wild pitch scored a run in the third before North Alabama exploded for five runs in the fourth inning. Gehrig Frei doubled down the left field line to bring home a pair of runners before Levi Jensen unloaded on a pitch for a three-run home run. Jensen's .291 batting average now serves as the third-best mark on the team. 
 
Following an Andrew Knight bases loaded walk, Jonathan Lane pulled a double down the line to clear the bases and pick up a trio of RBI's, extending the UNA lead to 14-3. After Lane moved to third on a wild pitch, Andin Johnson ripped his second home run of the season to left field, giving UNA a six run inning. 
 
Anthony Pingeton exited following a scoreless fifth inning, in line for the victory with 5.0 innings, three runs, one walk and a pair of punchouts. 
 
Frei stayed hot in the sixth inning, launching a three-run homer after a pair of Lions reached base to start the inning. After UNA scored the 20th run of the evening on a wild pitch, Johnson drove home Lane on an RBI double. 
 
Justin Battle entered the game for Pingeton in the sixth and tossed 2.0 scoreless frames, allowing just one hit while striking out three batters. 
 
Charlie Cochran entered the game as a pinch hitter and picked up his second hit of the season in his third at bat. Ryan West followed up with his first career hit just two batters later, driving home a run to make it 22-3. 
 
Frei finished his day 5-for-6 with four runs, six RBIs, a double and a home run. Frei's five-hit outing tie for the most in program history. His four runs and six RBIs are most in a game in the program's Division I history. Frei picked up five hits just six games prior against Alabama A&M and became the first UNA player with five hits in a game since 2016. 
 
Jenkins exits the series on a nine game hitting streak. Jenkins entered the stretch batting .154 and now sits with a .226 batting average. The UNA shortstop now has 14 hits in his last nine outings. 
 
After setting a Division I program record for largest margin of victory in game one on Saturday, UNA shattered the previous mark of 13, taking down the Knights by 19 in the series finale. 
 
Pitchers of Record
W – Anthony Pingeton (3-2)
L – Thomas Sylvester (0-1)
S – None
 
COMING UP NEXT
  
UNA travels to Nashville, Tenn. for a midweek matchup against Belmont on Tuesday, April 16 at 4 p.m.
 
For more information on North Alabama Athletics, visit www.roarlions.com and follow UNA Athletics on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.