UNA Baseball Drops Doubleheader At Delta State

Cleveland, Miss. - The University of North Alabama baseball team remained winless on the road Saturday, dropping a Gulf South Conference double-header at Delta State, 14-5 and 7-4. With the losses the Lions fall to 10-7 overall and 2-3 in the GSC. UNA is also 0-6 on the road.

After dropping the opener, the Lions took a 3-1 lead early in game two but could not hold it. Trailing 1-0, UNA tied the game in the top of the second on a double by Dylan Boston and an RBI single by Matthew Tittle. The Lions then took the lead in the third on a two-run double by Boston. Delta State tied the game in the bottom of the frame before UNA went back on top in the fifth. Boston singled and later scored on a sacrifice fly to make it 4-3. The Statesmen added three runs in the bottom of the fifth for the win.

Michael Watkins took the loss for UNA, allowing five runs on eight hits over four and 1/3 innings.

Delta State jumped on top 3-0 in the opener, scoring two runs in the first inning and adding one in the second. The Statesmen got a leadoff double by Jordan Chovanec  and he scored on an RBI-single by Sam Kidd. The run broke a streak of 19 consecutive scoreless innings thrown by UNA starter Chad Boughner. Michael Vinson singled in Kidd to make it 2-0 and the Statesmen loaded the bases before Boughner worked out of the jam.

DSU made it 3-0 in the second inning when Josh Crowdus walked and later scored on a ground out by Tyler Aldridge.

North Alabama finally got on the board in the top of the third inning when Thomas Lundborg had a leadoff double and scored on an RBI-single by Jake Ward. It was the first run the Lions had scored against the Statesmen in their last three meetings, after DSU shutout the Lions in last season’s GSC Tournament and NCAA South Regional.

Delta’s Ben Kingsley hit a leadoff homer in the bottom of the third to make it 4-1. After a walk and hit batter, Boughner was pulled for reliever Drew Mobley, but the Statesmen added three more runs on an RBI-single by Crowdus and a two-run single by Chovanec.

UNA closed the gap to 7-3 with two runs in the top of the fourth as Bradley Noland had an RBI-double and then scored on a Lunborg RBI-single. Delta State pushed its lead to 10-3 with three consecutive homers to lead-off the bottom of the fourth. The Statesmen then made it 11-3 with a run in the fifth.

UNA got two runs in the sixth as Lundborg single in a run and later scored on a balk to make it 11-5. The Statesmen got three runs back in the bottom of the sixth to make it 14-5.

With the loss, Boughner is now 2-2 on the season and has a career 27-12 record at UNA. He pitched two and 1/3 innings, allowing six runs on six hits. Mobley last 2/3 of an inning, allowing four runs on five hits. Jacob Westerhouse and Morgan McCarley also pitched for the Lions.

The Lions and Statesmen play a single game on Sunday at 2 p.m.

Courtesy UNA Media Relations