MADISON, Ala. (March 25, 2025) – The University of North Alabama baseball team competed with the No. 10 Alabama Crimson Tide on Tuesday, falling on the final at-bat of the game, 4-3. The Lions outhit the Tide 6-5 and held the Tide to their lowest batting average in a game this season at .167.
The Lions (7-15, 4-2 ASUN) used three runs from the sixth to eighth innings to tie the game as they went into the final frame. Freshman right-handed pitcher Luke Davenport held the Tide (23-3, 4-2 SEC) scoreless for three straight innings where he allowed only one hit and struck out two looking.
North Alabama went toe-to-toe with Alabama almost every inning.
In the bottom of the ninth with two outs and the score tied 3-3, Alabama phenom, sophomore Justin Lebron, stepped to the batter's box. UNA senior right-hander Carson Howard, who was nearly untouchable to this point, tossed two balls. Then a foul ball. Another foul ball. Then three more foul balls. Then another ball to make it a 3-2 count.
Then Lebron does what he had all season, he roped one down the left field line, just out of left fielder Nash Rippen's reach to where a play was impossible and what seemed the ball landed perfectly on the white line to walk it off and Alabama to secure the win 4-3.
Bryant Loving led the Lions on offense, going 2-for-3 on the day. Only one Alabama player managed two hits for the game.
Ryker Billingsley, Matthew Delgado, and Rippen all crossed the plate for a run scored. Jonathan Lane and the four aforementioned were the Lions to record a hit against the Tide.
Rippen belted a home run to right center to record two RBIs. Lane added one more. Land and Delgado added two doubles in the game to break even with Alabama for the game.
The Lions threw three pitchers on the day after Davenport finished and the bullpen allowed only two more hits.
The game was primarily quiet until Alabama strung together a couple of doubles in the bottom of the fourth. A 2-0 count for the first batter let him swing into the double, while another batter walked before a final Alabama batter doubled to bring in the first two. Alabama struck first for the 2-0 lead.
However, the Lions showed their perseverance in the sixth inning. Billingsley walked to lead off and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Delgado grounded out to second but moved Billingsley to third. Petey Craska popped up to short for a second out.
In step the left fielder, Rippen. He saw one strike and then took the next one dead center, that hung about 20 feet over the wall in center field. Rippen earned two RBIs and tied the game in one fail swoop.
The Crimson Tide answered right away in the bottom of the seventh. A walk for their lead off batter turned into a steal that placed him at second. A single to first that was knocked down by Craska but fled out to Lane forced a tough throw that no one could handle. After the throwing error, the runner rounded third for the leading score as he touched home, 3-2.
In the nail biter that it was, the Lions had some punch. Delgado opened the top of the eighth with a double down the right field line that hit the back wall and bounced away from the right fielder. Craska was then hit by pitch for the next at-bat.
Rippen sent a shot at second that moved the runners around as Alabama made the play at first. Lane found himself in a full count that he was battling out of and finally sent a shot out to center field that recorded as a sacrifice fly when Delgado scored the tying run.
The score was 3-3 game as the ninth began. Loving stepped to the plate and had an eight-pitch at-bat that ended with a walk. Shortstop Leighton Jenkins tried to lay a bunt down the first base line, instead it ricocheted off the ball for a pop-up to first. Billingsley then grounded out to second base for a double play to end their opportunity on offense.
After a stellar showing from the bullpen, Howard had the ball in a tie game in the bottom of the ninth. He walked the first batter but got the sacrifice bunt out at first in the next. The second out came as Rippen streaked out of left field into no man's land between him, shallow center and short. He made a diving catch as he laid out superman style. However, Lebron put one down the left field line to seal the game.
This was the sixth game of the season for UNA against an SEC opponent. This is their third best hitting game during the bunch, where they set a season high against then No. 1 LSU. The six hits were the most this season with 31 or less at-bats in a game.
Pitchers of Record
W – Carson Ozmer (3-0)
L – Carson Howard (0-1)
S – N/A
COMING UP NEXT
The Lions play at Lipscomb in Nashville, Tenn. on Friday, March 28 with first pitch slated for 4 p.m. at Dugan Field.
For more information on North Alabama Athletics, visit www.roarlions.com and follow UNA Athletics on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
