FLORENCE, Ala. –
Kevin Brenning broke a 4-4 tie with a two-run home run in the bottom of the eighth inning and lifted the University of North Alabama baseball team to a 6-4 win over Little Rock at Mike Lane Field.
Not only did the Lions win their home opener but it also snapped a six-game losing skid to open the season. UNA now, 1-6 overall, will host the Trojans, 3-5, for single games on Saturday at 2 p.m. and Sunday at noon.
UNA built a 3-0 lead with two runs in the second inning and one in the third, while starter
Hunter Davidson held the Trojans scoreless through the first five innings. After Little Rock got a run in the sixth, UNA answered with a run in the bottom of the seventh to make it 4-1.
Davidson left the game with that three-run advantage with two outs in the eighth inning and a career-high 12 strikeouts. Little Rock quickly jumped on UNA's reliever and tied the game as the next five batters reached base.
With the game tied 4-4 in the bottom of the eighth, Brenning launched his first home run of the season over the right field fence and drove in
Drew Hudson to give UNA a 6-4 advantage.
Austin Nichols (1-0) then retired the Trojans in order the ninth to get the win. Little Rock's Calvin Hunt (0-1), the third of five Trojans to throw in the game, took the loss.
UNA got on the board in the second inning when
Reid Singewald,
Drew Hudson and
Kevin Brenning all walked with one out.
Reid Homan was hit-by-pitch to force in a run and
Levi Jensen followed with a sacrifice fly to make it 2-0.
In the third,
Devne Daniel reached on a fielding error and scored on a
Harris Kain RBI-single.
Davidson faced the minimum number of batters through four innings and got out of a bases-loaded jam in the fifth as
Dominick McIntyre caught a fly ball for the second out and threw out a Trojan pinch runner at the plate to end the inning.
Little Rock got on the board in the sixth on a walk and a double, but Davidson eventually struck-out the side in the frame.
With two outs and a runner on second, Davidson left the game in the eighth but LR's Tyler Williams greeted UNA reliever Bryce Parrish with a home run to left field to close the score to 4-3. Parrish walked the next batter before being relieved by Nichols, who gave up two singles and a walk before closing out the inning.
John Michael Russ tied the game with a RBI-single to plate Noah Dickerson.
Davidson pitched 7.2 innings, allowing two runs on four hits with two walks and 12 strikeouts.
Nichols pitched an inning and a third, allowing two hits and a walk with one strikeout.
UNA was out-hit 7-5 in the game.
