FLORENCE, Ala. (March 14, 2026) – The University of North Alabama softball team made a major splash in its Atlantic Sun Conference opener on Saturday, taking two thrilling games from Central Arkansas to clinch a three-game series at Hilda B. Anderson Softball Stadium in Florence.

The Lions (19-5, 2-0 ASUN) fell behind 5-0 in the first half inning of the opener, but from there, it was nothing but up.

Senior Katie Simon pitched six shutout innings after a shaky start, allowing the UNA offense to rally back and win the opener. A pair of sacrifice flies in both the sixth and seventh tied and won the game, with the winning run scoring off the bat of junior Emma Kate Wright and on the slide of sophomore Holly Merritt.

The nightcap was even more exciting, as Central Arkansas (18-10, 0-2 ASUN) overcame a 3-2 deficit in the top of the seventh with two runs to take the lead. UNA tied it by scoring on a ball in the dirt to force extra innings. UCA took a 5-4 lead in the eighth, but it did not last.

The walk-off heroes from last Sunday's doubleheader sweep against Detroit Mercy were also the heroes against Central Arkansas. Junior Briley Dover tied the game with a solo homer into deep left field. After junior Bayleigh Rouse followed Dover with a single to put the winning run on base, senior Laura Leigh Wheeler walked it off with a two-run blast to the centerfield bleachers.

This marks the third time in the last six days that either Dover or Wheeler has hit a walk-off homer.

UNA has won nine of the last 10 games — the last five games coming down to either the final run or extra innings. All of the last 10 games have been at home, as tomorrow will end an 11-game home stand.

Speaking of tomorrow, the Lions have a chance to sweep Central Arkansas for the first time in program history with a win on Sunday. The only other time UNA has won three straight against UCA was with one win in 1999 and two wins in 2000. Today marked the first series win over UCA since 2024 and the first win in Florence over UCA since 2023.

After today, UNA sits alone atop the ASUN Gold Division standings with two wins. Bellarmine and Lipscomb both split their series opener, while Austin Peay and EKU did the same. This also marks UNA's first 2-0 start in ASUN play since 2021.

UNA struck out just two times all day — once in each game. The UNA pitching staff collected 10.
 

Game 1: North Alabama 6, Central Arkansas 5

Disaster struck early in the doubleheader as five hits, including an RBI double by Addie Graham and a grand slam by Grace Molitor, mounted a 5-0 lead against trusty senior Katie Simon. Simon, who entered with a 2.56 ERA, did not let this define her game.

The Athens native fired back six scoreless innings with just three runs allowed the rest of the way.

Meanwhile, the offense went to work with seven hits over seven innings and posted runs in the bottom of the first, third, sixth and seventh innings to take back the lead and to start with a 6-5 win.

Merritt had the first response with an RBI single to score senior Gyvan Hammons — who started the inning with a leadoff single. She was followed by true freshman Karley Moreland with a two-out double to make it 5-2. Moreland was coming off a game where she went 2-for-3 against Ole Miss and improved her batting average to .470 after that hit.

In the third, Merritt hit a two-run shot to centerfield to make it a 5-4 game. This scored her and Rouse, who had doubled in the previous at-bat. The Lions stranded Natalie Shaw in the fourth after a walk and two more in the fifth after walks to power hitters Merritt and Wheeler.

After a three-up, three-down inning by Simon in the sixth, new hitter Jenna Madison made her first home appearance and drew a walk. Freshman Livy Huter bunted her over, then a double by Shaw put pinch runner Claire Wright at third after Central Arkansas failed to make the tough catch. This allowed Hammons to slap home Wright with a sac fly to tie things up at 5-5.

The seventh also ended with three straight outs for Simon, who retired the final nine in order.

UNA had the meat of the order lead off the seventh, as Merritt drew a walk to open things up. Not wanting to mess with Merritt, UCA pitched to Wheeler, who took her second pitch to center field for a single. A fielder's choice groundout put runners on the corners. Then, EK Wright had her big moment of the game with a sac fly down the left field line, allowing Merritt to slide in safely.

Simon improved to an 8-1 record with the win, finishing with just three walks and six strikeouts. She threw 146 pitches in the effort, including 87 strikes. Her ERA remains below a 3.00 at 2.98.

Six Lions recorded a hit, including two from Merritt.
 

Pitchers of Record
W – Katie Simon (8-1)
L – Lucy Crowder (1-1)
S – None
 

Game 2: North Alabama 7, Central Arkansas 5 (8 innings) 

The first game was hard to top, but the second one did just that.

The Bears started with a 2-0 lead before the Lions took it back with three runs in the third. UCA switched it back again with two runs in the top of the seventh, but the Lions forced extra innings. Another UCA run put UNA on the ropes, but the Lions got a go-ahead walk-off homer from Wheeler to lock up the series.

An error in the top of the eighth allowed UCA to reach a one-out baserunner, then veteran leadoff hitter Renee Christian hit an RBI double to bring home the run with two outs. This brought in reliever Kaylee Snyder to strikeout the final hitter. She followed a valiant performance from Alivia Wilken, who went 7.2 innings and threw 128 pitches.

UCA got a lineout to start the bottom of the eighth, but Dover took the pressure off with a game-tying homer — a no-doubter to left field. Rouse singled her way on after that, then UCA got one back on a groundout by Merritt, who they struggled to stop all day.

Then entered Wheeler.

The Sulligent Slugger took the first pitch for a ball, then zoned in on the next pitch and rode it all the way over the centerfield wall for the 7-5 walk-off win.

Fifth-year senior Alivia Wilken scattered four earned runs over 7.2 innings to go with three strikeouts. She faced 37 batters and had 13 flyouts. Of her 128 pitches, 80 were strikes. Wilken also kept her ERA below 3.00 on Saturday as it now sits at 2.91.

Snyder picked up the win after getting the last out and stranding what would have been the tying run at the plate. She needed just four pitches to do it. Snyder improves to a 4-1 record.

Seven Lions recorded a hit, including two from Dover and Rouse in the 2-3 spots. Sophomore Jenna Madison had her first hit as a Lion with a single in the third inning. The UAB transfer made her first start for UNA on Saturday.

Down 2-0 in the third, Gyvan Hammons singled home Madison to cut the lead in half. Then from the three spot, Rouse hit a towering homer into centerfield to bring home herself and Hammons and give UNA the lead.

UCA used a sac fly and single in the seventh to snatch back the lead and shift the cheers of the crowd toward the third base side. The cheers shifted right back to the first base side in the bottom half on a leadoff single by Moreland, which went under the centerfielder's glove and stretched into a double. After Huter's sac bunt, Moreland scored on a pitch that snuck under the catcher. She slid under the tag just in time for the tying run.

Both teams scored in the eighth, but Wheeler got the last laugh.
 

Pitchers of Record
W – Kaylee Snyder (4-1)
L – Emory Bowlin (4-3)
S – None
 

COMING UP NEXT

The Lions are back tomorrow hunting the Sunday sweep at 1 p.m.

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