The Lions battled it out with the UAB Blazers in three games between March 2 and 3. Coming into the games, UNA held a record of 2-6, whereas the Blazer’s record was 3-5.
In game one, the first inning proved to be the most eventful. Leadoff hitter Jackson Ferrigno effortlessly sent a prized pitch sailing over the fence, putting them at an early lead of 1-0. Jonathan Lane and Kyle Machado followed the energy by pumping out doubles. Dominick McIntyre cranked out a RBI, followed by Levi Jensen’s second home run of the season. When the inning closed out, UNA led 7-0.
Pitcher Jacob James struck out nine batters, allowing only three hits across five innings. Totalling 204 strikeouts in his career, James is now the fifth player in program history to reach 200 strikeouts.
In the bottom of the ninth, Andrew Knight had a walk off-solo, making it his third homer of the season. The Lions ended up taking the first game with a score of 9-8.
Jackson Ferrigno led the team in hitting throughout the first game with a total of four at bats. He had three hits and one RBI. Levi Jensen also had four at bats with two hits and two RBIs. Gehrig Frei and Kyle Machado both had two hits.
Following Jacob James, Brycen Parrish had six strikeouts in the first game. In the field, Levi Jensen led with a grand total of 15 putouts.
The second game seemed to be pretty back and forth, with neither team letting off momentum. While UAB led off with 3 runs, UNA responded thanks to a couple of wild pitches and Jonathan Lane bringing home a runner, tying the score to 3-3.
Andrew Knight put UNA up 5-3 when he doubled two runners home with the bases loaded.
In the fourth inning, Machado and Knight both had singles, and Cal Cook brought them both home, extending the lead to 7-3.
Unfortunately, the Blazers made a comeback in the seventh and eighth inning. In the seventh, the Blazers scored three runs, but they ultimately took the lead in the eighth. The game ended with a score of 10-8.
Jonathan Lane and Andrew Knight both had five at bats and two hits in the second game. Kyle Machado and Dominick McIntyre had four at bats and two hits.
Jacob Bradshaw and Caleb Menina struck out two players each. In the field, Andin Johnson had nine putouts, Cal Cook had four and Dominick McIntyre had three.
On Sunday, UNA fell to an early lead by the Blazers, where they scored all eight runs in the first two innings of the game. Even with the lead, UNA showcased their defense, especially in terms of pitching. Across seven innings, pitchers did not let up a single run.
After UAB scored three runs in the top of the first, three of UNA’s hitters responded with something to prove. Jackson Ferrigno, Jonathan Lane and Kyle Machado all hit singles, and Machado’s hit brought home Ferrigno to bring the score to 3-1.
UAB continued to bring harsh batting streaks, but luckily, UNA quickly gained back momentum, and Carson Howard ended the inning with a forced groundout.
In the fifth inning, Frei smashed out his first home run of the season. Unfortunately for the Lions, UAB’s pitcher got in the zone and refused to let up any more hits. That is, until McIntyre’s double in the ninth inning, but that would not be enough to catch UAB’s lead of 8-3.
Frei, Machado, McIntyre and Ferrigno all had four at bats. Frei, Machado and McIntyre totaled two hits each to Ferrigno’s one hit.
Carson Howard struck out three players. Kevin Henrich and Jose Bowerman each struck out one player as well. In the field, Jensen and Cook both had seven putouts. Knight had four putouts and Leighton Jenkins had two.
After the weekend, Head Coach Prachniak praised his team on their ability to keep fighting regardless of the numbers on the scoreboard. He also mentioned how impressed he was by how well his pitchers threw the ball on Saturday. Seeing as the team struggled last season with pitching, Prachniak made an extra effort to pressure his pitchers to throw strikes.
He also made mention of Jackson Ferrigno’s brilliant batting and Jacob James’ incredible arms, making note of their superb efforts in bringing the team up.
Heading into the rest of the season, the team is excited to continue working together to figure out their best rhythms. Be sure to come out to Mike D. Lane Field on March 15-17 to witness just how well these guys work together.
