MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (March 1, 2024) – The University of North Alabama softball team is once again in the driver's seat of another round robin tournament, winning the first two games of the MTSU Invitational in Murfreesboro, Tenn. with wins over Bradley and Army late Friday evening.

The Lions improve to 12-5 on the season.

Both games were tight, as the Lions walked off the Braves in the 5 p.m. game. After six scoreless innings from UNA's Cassidy Duskin and Bradley's Sydney Kennedy, the game went into a weather delay due to rain. About an hour later, play resumed in the bottom of the sixth inning and the Lions got a walk-off single from senior Felicity Frame to score fellow senior McKenzie Patterson.

The nightcap against Army got off to a late start and finished after 10 p.m. The Lions and Black Knights provided a late night thriller, as UNA took a 6-1 lead in the seventh and stymied a late rally by Army to win 6-4 in the final game of the day.

The Lions had 13 hits over the two games, including four hits from Frame. She reached three times in each game with three hits in the opener and a hit and two walks in the nightcap. Senior Sidney Bevis led the team with two runs scored in the finale, while senior Haven Kirby drove in a pair.

Defense also had a factor in both outcomes, as the Lions were perfect in the field. Three of UNA's seven runs came on a play involving an error by the other team, as Bradley and Army combined for six errors.

While Duskin pitched her third complete game shutout of the season with a season-high six strikeouts, junior Alivia Wilken and senior Hannah Embry took care of business in the Army game. Wilken went three innings with just one run allowed, while Embry took over and pitched three scoreless before allowing a homer in the seventh. She finished with six strikeouts for her first win of the season.

Game 1 —North Alabama 1, Bradley 0

For the first time this season, UNA had a game go into a weather delay. This delay interrupted a pitcher's duel in jeopardy of slipping Bradley's way, as the Braves put runners on the corners. From there, Duskin got the final out at second to end the threat and retain the shutout.

After stranding a runner on third in the top of the seventh following a one-out triple, Duskin escaped another threat and kept her team in position for a walk-off.

This brought up Patterson with one out and nobody on. Patterson walked her way on, then moved to second on an infield single by Frame. The throw to first was errant, allowing Patterson to round third and come home to score the winning run in a 1-0 final.

Both teams left seven runners on base and combined for nine hits. Joining Frame in the hit column was junior Hailey Jones with a double and fellow junior Lillyanna Cartee with a single. Patterson and true freshman Briley Dover both had sacrifice hits, while Frame added a stolen base.

Pitchers of Record
W – Cassidy Duskin (5-2)
L – Sydney Kennedy (2-3)
S – None

Game 2 — North Alabama 6, Army 4

The nightcap started scoreless until Army took an early lead in the third inning. UNA responded with two runs in the third and another in the fourth, then took a 6-1 lead into the seventh. Army showed fight with a three-run blast by DP Caitlyn Newburn, but were shut down with the tying run at the plate.

UNA had eight hits in the win, including two from Kirby and two from junior transfer Grace Gregory. Entering for just the second time this season, Gregory crushed a double off the left field wall for her first hit as a Lion. She added another single after that to finish 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored.

Frame, Bevis, Cartee and Patterson also added a hit, while true freshman Emma Kate Wright caught the second game and had a sacrifice in the fourth inning to help extend the lead.

Down 1-0, UNA got its first runs from RBI singles by Bevis and Kirby. Cartee scored in the fourth after a leadoff single, moving on the Wright bunt and scoring on the Gregory double. The lead grew in the sixth as Gregory hit a one-out single and scored on an error. Patterson, who reached on a bunt single, scored on the same play, while Kirby brought home Bevis with another single.

Things got testy in the seventh inning, as Army struck out to lead things off, but singled and walked in the next two at-bats. This brought up Newburn with two-outs and the game on the line, who smoked a homer to pull within two. Embry shook it off and walked one on, but got the game-ending groundout at the hot corner to end the threat.

Embry and Wilken combined for eight strikeouts, while Embry pitched a career-high four innings, notched a career-high six strikeouts and earned her first career decision.

Pitchers of Record
W – Hannah Embry (1-0)
L – Breanna Izzo (0-2)
S – None

COMING UP NEXT

The Lions return to action tomorrow at 11:30 a.m. to battle host Middle Tennessee State. UNA will rematch Army at 5 p.m.

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