CLINTON, Miss. -- A sweep by the University of North Alabama baseball team over Mississippi College has moved the Lions into second place in the Gulf South Conference standings. The Lions downed the Choctaws 15-3 and 7-2 to push UNA's GSC record to 15-8 and its overall mark to 23-14.
In the opener,
Tyler Joyner picked up his ninth win of the season and fifth complete-game, holding the Choctaws to three runs on eight hits with one walk and eight strikeouts. Joyner is now 9-1 on the season and is the only nine-game winner in the GSC.
North Alabama jumped on top 2-0 with a pair of runs in the first inning. The CHoctaws tied it at 2-2 in the bottom of the second but the Lions put up four more in the third, one in the fourth and one in the fifth for an 8-2 lead. MC got a single run in the bottom of the fifth but UNA again responded with four more runs in the sixth to make it 12-3. After the Lions scored three more runs in the eighth, the game was shortened due to the 10-run rule.
North Alabama out-hit Mississippi College 14 to eight in the game. All nine of UNA's batters had at least one hit and eight of the nine scored at least one run.
Brandt Holland was three-for-five with a run scored and three RBI, while
Drake Tucker,
Kyle Hubbuch and
Peyton Sockwell had two hits each.
In game two, UNA starter
Lane Wallace turned in oe of his best performances of the season as he picked up the win in the Lions' 7-2 victory. Wallace (3-4) pitched six and a third innings, allowing two runs on five hits with three walks and seven strikeouts.
MC took the lead with a run in the bottom of the second but UNA took the lead for good with three runs in the fifth inning. North Alabama added four more in the top of the seventh and the Choctaws got the final run in the bottom of the seventh.
Ben Cooley homered and drove in two runs to spark UNA, while
Davis Elliott had two hits.
Channing Wall pitched the final two-thirds of an inning in relief.
Delta State leads the GSC baseball standings at 17-5, followed by UNA at 15-8. Union, West Alabama and West Florida follow at 14-8.
The Lions and Choctaws play the final game of the series Sunday at 1 p.m.
