FLORENCE, Ala. (February 28, 2026) – Senior pitcher Katie Simon whipped up a five-inning no-hitter and the UNA offense forced the mercy rule to top off a successful home opener on Saturday at Hilda B. Anderson Softball Stadium, winning both games of a doubleheader against Evansville.

The Lions (12-4) rallied for a 5-3 win in the opener, using an RBI double from senior Laura Leigh Wheeler to take the lead in the sixth and a solo home run from junior Emma Kate Wright as insurance in the seventh.

In the nightcap, Simon allowed just two baserunners on walks, but nothing else for her second shutout of the season. This marked her first career no-hitter as a Lion, however, not the first of her collegiate career as she accomplished this at Wallace State during her JUCO career.

The no-hitter was UNA's first since 2024 when Alivia Wilken threw the first perfect game in school history in a 1-0 win over Samford. Wilken pitched the opener on Saturday, picking up the win over Evansville (6-9) with 7.0 innings pitched and just three runs allowed.

The UNA offense totaled 17 hits over the two games, including three homers, three doubles and a triple. All but one of the 13 runs came via RBI hits. Five Lions had multi-hit games in the doubleheader.

UNA has won six of the last seven home openers dating back to 2020.
 

Game 1: North Alabama 5, Evansville 3

Evansville looked like the early favorite to win the opener, taking a 2-0 lead in the third inning with five hits to that point. However, momentum began to shift as the offense came alive and Wilken found her rhythm.

From the bottom of the third and onward, Wilken allowed just one run and three hits and the UNA offense went on a five-run rally to win 5-3. Juniors Briley Dover and Bayleigh Rouse were instrumental in this effort, tying the game in the third with a sac fly and solo homer, respectively. The sac fly was set up by a thrilling triple from senior Gyvan Hammons to deep center.

UNA took its first lead in the fourth inning on a passed ball, allowing junior Emma Kate Wright to score. True freshman Livy Huter set this up with a double down the right field line that stayed just fair to move runners in scoring position.

Evansville tied the game with a homer from Brooke Voss in the fifth inning, but Wheeler had the answer with a go-ahead double to make it 4-3. Wright smashed one into the centerfield bleachers to extend the lead before Wilken closed with a strikeout looking to end it.

Wright and Hammons led with two-hit games. Hammons also had a web-gem in centerfield with a diving catch turned into an 8-3 double play.
 

Pitchers of Record
W – Alivia Wilken (4-3)
L – Kate Ridgeway (2-2)
S – None
 

Game 2: North Alabama 8, Evansville 0 (5 innings)

Coming off her 7.0 inning shutout of Loyola Chicago last Friday, Simon performed well for the Florence crowd with a no-hitter over five innings. She threw just 59 pitches, making quick work of the Aces.

The offense turned in a pair of four run innings to end the game in just over an hour. The big hit came in the third inning off the bat of Dover, who launched a three-run homer to score Huter and Hammons. Both reached on singles.

With the bases cleared by Dover, Rouse followed her with a double to add one in scoring position. She later scored on a grounder by sophomore Holly Merritt.

Simon had just one walk in the third and fourth innings but posted her third 1-2-3 inning with a groundout and two flyouts in the fifth. This kept the no-hitter in tack with the Lions needing just four runs to end it. A two-RBI single from Merritt scored Dover and pinch runner Claire Wright for the first two, then Huter drove in Merritt and pinch runner Kylei Russell to end it.

Hammons had a hit, extending an 11-game on-base streak. Merritt lost her nine-game hit streak in the opener, but started a new one with her RBI hit in the nightcap. Huter, Wheeler and Dover had two-hit days to lead the offense in the second game.
 

Pitchers of Record
W – Katie Simon (6-0)
L – Alexis Tucker (2-2)
S – None
 

COMING UP NEXT

The Lions will look for the series sweep Sunday at noon.

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