FLORENCE, Ala. (April 19, 2025) – The University of North Alabama baseball team wrapped up a three-game weekend with an 11-1 mercy rule win over the Bellarmine Knights to cap a series win on Saturday afternoon on Mike D. Lane Field at Bank Independent Stadium.
It took only seven innings to finish the job as Leighton Jenkins doubled to score Bryant Loving to complete the series win. This is the fourth straight season that North Alabama has a conferences series win over Bellarmine.
This is the fourth conference series win this season for UNA, the most in a single season in UNA's seven-year Division I history. The previous best of three was done in 2023 with a final weekend series win over Austin Peay.
The Lions (15-22, 10-8 ASUN) had 13 hits for the game with a .419 batting average as team. This becomes the second-best batting average in a game game behind the Austin Peay finale on April 13 where UNA had a .462.
Bellarmine (10-29, 6-12 ASUN) had just five hits for the day, where two came from lead-off batter Landon Akers. The Knights left eight on base for the finale.
North Alabama hit .400 with runners in scoring position and .412 with runners on base. The lead-off man went .571 for the game.
Three home runs were blasted, thanks to Matthew Delgado, Wes Walker and RJ Sherwood. This is the first game this season that three home runs have been hit in a game. They had hit two home runs in three different games. All three cleared the high left field wall.
The five doubles are a season-high as it out paced the Austin Peay win where UNA had four. The Lions used 11 RBIs to score the 11 runs today as both are second best for the season.
This is also the first run rule victory for North Alabama in 2025. The Lions had six games go into extra innings this season, but the first to run only seven.
Four UNA batters had two or more hits today. Delgado went a perfect 2-for-2 with two runs, an RBI and a double. Leighton Jenkins did the same with a 2-for-2 day and two runs, RBI and double to match Delgado.
Wes Walker had his best game of the season with three hits, his second home run of the year, four RBIs and a double. The freshman is now hitting .368 in conference games this season with 10 starts in that span.
Petey Craska went 1-for-2 and two walks which let him touch him plate three times in this one. This tied Ryker Billingsley and Alex Wilson for most in a game this season.
The Lions used two arms on the afternoon, as Anthony Pingeton threw six innings with six strikeouts and only four hits allowed. Gavin Oswald closed the final inning with a strikeout in four batters faced.
Bellarmine mirrored yesterday with the first run scored of the day after a double and a walk put two on base. A throwing error from the Lion defense helped score one.
North Alabama doubled up the Knights in the bottom of the first as Craska singled to open things up. Delgado doubled to left for two in scoring position.
Wes Walker scored Craska as he singled out to left. The newest addition to the 200-hit club, Jonathan Lane doubled down the right field line to score Delgado for the 2-1 lead.
Pingeton worked in the second inning as he struck out his second Knight swinging and then let his defense work for the other two.
North Alabama added to their lead in the bottom of the third as both Delgado and Walker put two over the purple monster— name still pending— in left field. However, the home plate umpire ejected Delgado after a bat flip celebration which let Charlie Cochran enter.
Pingeton kept his pace and added two more strikeouts to his total in the top of the fourth en route to a three-up, three-down inning.
Jenkins walked to open the bottom half of the inning and stole second in the next at-bat. After a wild pitch, he sat on third. Craska walked which put two on the base path.
Then entered Cochran, and did he enter. Down 0-2 in the count, he smashed one to left center to double for his first time this season. He drove in both Jenkins and Craska to drive the lead up, 6-1.
Pingeton provided two more strikeouts in the top of the fifth and sixth innings, which kept the Knights scoreless for the previous five frames.
Wes Walker found it again in the sixth. Jenkins singled to left on the second pitch of his at-bat. A bunt from Alex Wilson moved him around. Craska waked for the second time on the day. Then Wes Walker doubled into left center for his third hit as he cleared the bases for the 8-1 lead.
Oswald slipped in at the top of the seventh as he struck out one and got the other two outs from fly-outs to continue the scoreless inning streak.
Alex Wade subbed in at right field and reached on an error by the Knights. Sherwood homered over the left field wall, scoring two. Loving singled to center in a 2-0 count before Jenkins finished off the afternoon with a double to score Loving to push the lead 11-1 and ending the game.
"Great response by our team after a tough game one of the series," said head coach Jad Prachniak. "We enjoyed getting a chance to play on campus at the brand new Mike D. Lane Field at Bank Independent Stadium, such a great ballpark to call home. Winning this series took contributions from a bunch of guys on the team. Jonathan Lane getting his 200th career hit this weekend was special, he has been so consistent throughout his career and it was great to see him hit that milestone in Florence."
Pitchers of Record
W – Anthony Pingeton (2-3)
L – Aaron Ragat (0-6)
S – N/A
COMING UP NEXT
North Alabama battles Murray State on Tuesday, April 22 at 3 p.m. at Mike D. Lane Field at Bank Independent Stadium.
For more information on North Alabama Athletics, visit www.roarlions.com and follow UNA Athletics on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
