MADISON, Ala. (February 22, 2025) – The University of North Alabama softball team competed with a pair of ranked SEC opponents on Saturday at the Rocket City Softball Showcase and gave them both a run for their money, but the No. 17 Auburn Tigers and No. 16 Mississippi State Bulldogs held on for wins at Toyota Field — home of the Rocket City Trash Pandas in Madison, Ala.
An argument can be made that UNA out-played Auburn in the opener, as the Lions had two more hits than the Tigers and threatened with the go-ahead run on base in the seventh inning. However, Auburn was able to sneak away with a 2-1 win in the seventh despite a valiant effort from senior ace
Alivia Wilken.
UNA also had a 2-0 lead over Mississippi State in the third inning, but the Bulldogs kept the Lions at bay the rest of the way for a 6-2 win.
The Lions finish the Rocket City Softball Showcase with a 1-3 record, including a win over ETSU and losses to three SEC opponents — the other being Ole Miss on Friday. This moves UNA's overall record to 10-3 this season. Auburn and Mississippi State both improved to 12-1.
Game 1 — #17 Auburn 2, North Alabama 1
Saturday's slate started with a thriller in what was the highest attended softball game of the Rocket City Showcase to date. The Lions battled tough, but stranded the go-ahead run on base against the nationally-ranked Auburn Tigers.
Both teams entered Friday as one of 10 teams in the NCAA without a loss with at least nine games played. The Lions suffered their first loss with a 4-0 setback against Ole Miss on Friday morning, while Auburn followed with a 5-1 loss to Louisiana Tech in the next game.
UNA posed an early threat with a one-out single from sophomore
Briley Dover. She scored in the next at-bat on a double to the right-center gap by senior
Hailey Jones. Auburn tied the game with a pair of hits in the bottom half of the first.
Auburn only had one hit after the first inning, but it was the one that counted. Cleanup hitter KK McCrary, who drove in the first run with a single, snuck a solo home run over the centerfield wall in the fourth inning to make it 2-1.
The Lions finished with five hits, arguably outplaying Auburn most of the way. One of those hits came from
Ryleigh Boyett in the seventh inning, who lined a single off the first baseman's glove into shallow right field. Prior to that, junior
Jorja Roberson walked to put the tying run on base. A stellar catch on a liner to shortstop Nelia Peralta saved the tying run from scoring and a strikeout ended the game.
The bottom of the fifth brought a highlight, as Auburn was looking to extend the 2-1 lead with a deep shot by Peralta. However, UNA centerfielder
Gyvan Hammons tracked back and robbed what appeared to be a home run to end the inning with momentum.
The two pitchers who dueled today were the aces of the staff, including UNA's Wilken and Auburn's SJ Geurin. Geurin went 4.1 innings to sneak away with the win, while Chalea Clemmons tight-roped out of the final 2.2 innings for the save. Geurin remains the clubhouse leader for Auburn with a 1.47 ERA over 43.0 innings.
Wilken suffered her first loss of the season despite another quality start, moving to 5-1 with a 1.84 ERA. She allowed just two runs allowed on three hits. She had no walks and six strikeouts, giving her 16 strikeouts over the last two games. Junior
Emily Simon closed the final inning with three strikeouts, allowing just one runner on a walk.
Boyett had a two-hit game for UNA, her first two hits of the season. She has started each of the last three games at first place in the absence of injured first baseman
Lillyanna Cartee. Jones, Dover and Roberson added one hit apiece.
Neither team had an error. The Lions, who are among the top three fielding teams in the Atlantic Sun Conference, completed their sixth game without an error this season.
Pitchers of Record
W – SJ Geurin (7-0)
L –
Alivia Wilken (5-1)
S – Chalea Clemmons (1)
Game 2 — #16 Mississippi State 6, North Alabama 2
Much like the first game, the Lions struck first on an RBI double by Jones, bringing home Dover and junior
Katie Davis to make it 2-0 in the third inning. However, the Bulldogs answered with two runs in the bottom half, added the go-ahead run in the fifth and three insurance runs in the sixth for a 6-2 win.
Both teams recorded six hits, including a 3-for-4 day from Jones. The senior has a .444 batting average with 20 hits in 45 at-bats this season. She is batting over .300 for her four-year career.
Hammons and juniors
Bayleigh Rouse and
Natalie Shaw also added a hit. Dover also swiped a bag for her third of the season.
Junior
Emily Simon, who entered with a dominant 0.84 ERA and an ASUN Pitcher of the Week honor to her name, had her toughest test to day. She pitched 4.1 innings with three runs allowed on four hits.
Pitchers of Record
W – Delainey Everett (2-0)
L –
Emily Simon (3-2)
S – None
COMING UP NEXT
The Lions will no longer play on Sunday due to schedule changes announced by event officials. UNA will now turn its attention to a 10-game home stand that begins next Wednesday, Feb. 26 against Memphis at 3 p.m.
UNA will play a four-game series against Oakland next weekend, including doubleheaders on Friday and Saturday. The following week, UNA will host the UNA Invitational involving Louisiana-Monroe, Samford and Detroit Mercy from March 7-9.
For more information on North Alabama Athletics, visit www.roarlions.com and follow UNA Athletics on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
