KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (February 25, 2025) – The University of North Alabama baseball team stood tall against the reigning NCAA National Champion, Tennessee, on Tuesday. The Lions lost 7-5 inside of Lindsey Nelson Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn. 

North Alabama drops to 3-4 on the season. Tennessee improves to 8-0.

The Lions trailed 7-2 before sparking a late rally. The comeback was just short in Knoxville, as the Lions put up a run in each of the final three innings. No team has lost by less than four to the reigning champs, making this the most competitive game for the Volunteers so far in 2025. 

Most games this season started quickly for North Alabama. However, Tennessee struck first in this one. All three Lions struck out at the top of the first while the Volunteers recorded four hits, all singles, that helped score five runs in the bottom of the first. 

North Alabama did much of the same in the top of the second. However, senior right-hander Anthony Pingeton took the mound in place of freshman left-hander Reese Young in the bottom of the second. Another RBI single to left field added another score for Tennessee. Pingeton caught one Vol looking and the other swinging for two strikeouts. 

In the third, the ninth hole Lion helped lead the charge as third baseman Bryant Loving hit one close to the wall just out of reach of the Tennessee right fielder. That put him and RJ Sherwood at second and third respectively for a prime position to score. A pitching change substitution for the home team then led to an Alex Wilson single to centerfield that helped him claim two RBIs to put UNA on the board. 

It was pitching by committee for both sides, as most midweek games are. In the bottom of the third, right-hander Hunter Bell checked in for Pingeton. His defense helped him with some fly ball catches, but a homerun pushed the lead to 7-2. 

After the first three innings, the offenses grew quiet. Caleb Menina toed the mound in place of Bell in the bottom of the fourth. He struck one out and his defense nabbed the other two to leave two Volunteers on base. Right-handed pitcher John Allen Stogner joined in on the fun in the fifth inning going three up and three down with a strikeout. 

The top of the sixth showed a little movement for UNA as they notched two walks to get on base but got stranded as they could not get them home. Left-hander Gavin Oswald stepped in for the sixth inning. He struck out one and walked another, but a Volunteer doubled to left center which pushed the walk to third. He then tried to make a dash from home but Sherwood made the throw into shortstop Leighton Jenkins who beamed it to Matthew Delgado behind the plate so he could apply the out and end the inning. 

The momentum from the sixth carried into the seventh for the Lions. Two outs from the first two batters brought up pinch hitter Jayden Sloan. He singled to center field, which then led to a Jonathan Lane single down the right side. 

Wilson came back up and made another impact as he singled up the middle. Sloan scored for the third run of the game, cutting the lead to just four. The bottom of the seventh saw both Landon Scruggs and Kyle Lewis pitching for the Lions. Between the two of them, they left three Volunteers stranded to keep the score 7-3. 

Momentum carried into the top of the eighth. First baseman Petey Craska singled to right center and then advanced to second on a wild pitch. Freshman Wes Walker singled to left center to put Craska on third. Jenkins grounded out to the shortstop but moved the runners around and gained an RBI off of Craska as he cut the lead to three. 

Unlike most innings, Lewis stayed in and delivered two straight strikeouts and then another flied out to only see four batters in the inning. 

The opening Lion struck out, but Lane singled to get the bats to go in the ninth. Wilson got walked and then both advanced on a wild pitch. Delgado grounded out to shortstop which scored Lane to make it 7-5. A final Lion strikeout finished the night with the tying run at the plate. 

"We dug ourselves a hole in the first, but proud of how we responded," said Head Coach Jad Prachniak. "We battled hard from the 2nd inning on, pitchers competed well against a dynamic offense. The hitters did a good job of chipping away against some quality arms.  We will learn from this and keep building."

North Alabama left 13 Volunteers on the base path to keep them scoreless the final five innings of play. Tennessee has mercy ruled every team they have played this season at least once. This is only the third game that Tennessee has scored in single digits. The two-run gap between the two teams is the closest game of the season. Samford lost 5-1, being the second closest game.

Pitchers of Record

W – Tegan Kuhns (1-0)

L –  Reese Young (0-1)

S – N/A

COMING UP NEXT

The Lions begin their away series against the UAB Blazers on Friday, Feb. 28 at 2 p.m. at Young Memorial Field. North Alabama hosted the series a season ago, winning one of the three games. 

For more information on North Alabama Athletics, visit www.roarlions.com and follow UNA Athletics on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.