FLORENCE, Ala. (April 19, 2024) – The University of North Alabama baseball team started a rally in the late frames, but ultimately fell to Stetson 8-4 in the series opener on Friday in Florence. The Lions strung together all four runs in a pair of innings before a late Hatter push put the game out of reach. 
 
The Lions fall to 13-22 on the season, while the Hatters improve to 25-13. UNA is now 5-11 in ASUN Conference play, while the Hatters sit atop the conference standings at 11-5. 
 
A pair of sixth inning home runs from Gehrig Frei and Dominick McIntyre helped eliminate a Stetson no-hit bid, while a seventh inning run cut the Hatter lead down to 6-4. Stetson, however, added a pair of runs and kept the Lions off the board for the remainder of the contest. 
 
North Alabama left-handed pitcher Jacob James started his 10th game of the season Friday, seeking to cut down the number of strikeouts needed to become UNA's all-time strikeout leader. James entered the weekend with 250 career strikeouts, needing just 30 to tie Chad Boughner for the most in program history. 
 
The southpaw from Loretto, Tenn. tossed three scoreless frames to open up the game before a Stetson homer opened up the scoring in the fourth. James finished the game with six strikeouts in 4.1 innings, putting him 24 away from Boughner's career mark of 280 with 19 games left in the season. 
 
The Hatters tacked on four more runs in the fifth inning courtesy of an RBI single and a three-run homer to left field. Brycen Parrish entered the contest in relief for James with one out in the fifth inning. 
 
Parrish and Justin Battle combined for 4.2 innings out of the bullpen, allowing just two runs and notching three strikeouts. 
 
After opening up the game with five hitless innings, Frei — the reigning ASUN Player of the Week — launched his team-leading 10th home run to lead off the sixth. Kyle Machado followed Frei with a walk, setting up McIntyre for a two-run home run to cut the Stetson lead to 6-3. 
 
Andin Johnson walked before coming around to score on a Jackson Ferrigno RBI single in the seventh, putting the Stetson advantage at just two runs. The Hatters picked up a pair of runs in the final two innings for insurance as right-handed pitcher Zane Coppersmith sat down eight of the last nine North Alabama batters. 
 
Despite the loss, UNA tacked on two more home runs to bring the season total to 39, the most in a single season in North Alabama's Division I era. The previous record was set in 2022 with 38. The Lions have 19 games remaining in the 2024 campaign. 
 
Leighton Jenkins (11) and Frei (9) both extended their hitting streaks in Friday's game, while Machado moved his streak of games reaching base safely to 13. 
 
Pitchers of Record
W – Anthony DeFabbia (7-1)
L – Jacob James (4-3)
S – Zane Coppersmith (2)
 
COMING UP NEXT
 
North Alabama and Stetson return to Mike D. Lane Field for game two of the series tomorrow, April 20 at 3 p.m. before concluding the series on Sunday, April 21 at 1 p.m.
 
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