FLORENCE, Ala. -- Liberty scored three runs in the top of the first inning and went on to a 13-5 win over North Alabama at Mike Lane Field in ASUN Conference baseball action.
The Flames scored in six of the nine innings but UNA continued to battle, scoring five runs on 12 hits.
UNA is now 4-27 overall and 3-10 in the ASUN. Liberty is 23-8 overall and 9-1 in the ASUN.
Liberty starter Trevor Delaite (5-1) picked up the complete-game win, while UNA starter
Hunter Davidson (1-5) took the loss. Davidson allowed nine runs on 15 hits over five innings with six strikeouts.
After Liberty went up 3-0 in the top of the first, UNA responded with two runs of its own in the bottom of the inning.
Drew Hudson doubled and scored on a
Devne Daniel RBI-single. Daniel later scored on a sacrifice fly by
Peyton Thomas.
Liberty then added two runs in the second and two in the fourth for a 7-2 lead.
UNA got a run back in the bottom of the fourth as
Reid Homan singled, advanced to third on an error and scored on a ground-out by
Austin Thrasher.
The Flames got two in the fifth to make it 9-3 before UNA again scored a run, this time as Hudson walked and scored on an RBI-single by
Kylan Barnett.
Liberty put two more on the board in the sixth for an 11-4 advantage.
Thrasher singled in the bottom of the sixth and scored on an RBI-double by Levin Jensen.
Liberty then scored two additional runs in the ninth for a final 13-5 advantage.
Jacob James pitched four innings in relief for the Lions, allowing four runs on five hits with three walks and four strikeouts.
Daniel, Thrasher, Jensen and
Ben Kiefer had two hits each for the Lions.
The Lions and Flames will play game two of the series at 2 p.m. Saturday at Mike Lane Field.
