The UNA baseball team pounded 17 hits and scored 14 runs in a 14-5 rout against Trevecca Nazarene last Friday on the road.

With the win the UNA baseball team improved their record to 26-10 overall, as the offense provided plenty of runs as the team bounced back from a loss earlier in the week to Montevallo.

“We were facing their top two pitchers, who had great numbers, but we had one of our better offensive performances,” said head coach Mike Keehn.

“We competed really well at the plate, and just swung the bats really well all day long.”

UNA starter Trey Mitchell (8-2) had a solid outing, allowing two runs in the first and two in the fifth, and left the game in the seventh inning with a 12-4 lead.

Mitchell allowed seven hits and four runs, walking two and striking out four

The Lions started racking up the runs early with two runs in the first inning and six more in the second. The Lions followed that up with four runs in the sixth and two runs in the ninth to end the game.

“Their pitchers hung some breaking balls early in the game.

“They had some good stuff, but we were just not missing on some of their pitches. Our concentration and our focus were better at the plate and we were able to get a hold of the pitches,” Keehn said.

J.P. LaMunyon led the offensive attack for the Lions, going three-for-five and making it the second straight game with three hits. He added that with two runs scored and four RBIs.

Blake Stroth was two-for-four with three runs scored and an RBI to go with that, and Jared Mothershed was two-for-four and launched a three-run home run.

Josh Cyr and Michael Schmidt also pinched in with two hits each and scored twice.

The Lions had last weekend off to help the team get ready for the stretch run, but some fear that taking time off can endanger the team’s momentum in closing out the season.

“It’s all about staying in rhythm and I thought playing Friday was extremely important for us with having the weekend off, but we will see how we come this week if being off helped or hurt us,” Keehn said.

As the regular season draws to a close, each game the Lions play will be extremely important in terms of post-season play, as the Lions will have to finish strong to solidify their chances of playing beyond the Gulf South Tournament.

“We want to continue getting quality pitching, improve a little bit more on our defense, and hopefully our hitting will continue like it did against Trevecca.

“We got to keep playing well for the rest of the season for regional consideration, and get into the post season,” Keehn said.

The Lions will host a weekend series against Lambuth, beginning with a double-header on Saturday starting at 2:00 p.m. and a game on Sunday starting at 1:00 p.m.