Cole and Clark make record books in sweep

Junior pitcher Raven Cole winds up against Mississippi College April 10 at the UNA Softball Complex. Cole tossed a no-hitter against the Choctaws April 9, becoming the third pitcher in school history to do so.

The record-setting heroics continued for the UNA softball team this weekend with another sweep.

The Lions (40-5, 24-3 Gulf South Conference) defeated Mississippi College by scores of 10-2, 8-0 and 6-2 in a three-game weekend series, keeping UNA in good shape to host the GSC tournament in Florence.

“These girls are just so much fun, and it’s just someone new everyday,” said UNA head coach Ashley Cozart. “I don’t think it was our best game (as far as) hitting (in game three), but great teams find a way to win, and I’m proud of that.”

The highlights of the series came in the last two games. Junior Raven Cole pitched a no-hitter in six innings in game two, giving the Lions an 8-0 win and becoming the third player this season to throw a no-no.

“It’s great to have the pitching staff we have,” Cozart said. “(Mississippi College) is a good team, and they have been putting up some numbers on a lot of pitchers in our conference. She did a really good job keeping them off balance.”

In the last game of the series, senior first baseman Brooklynn Clark blasted a solo homerun over the left field wall, giving her a school record 53 RBI’s on the season.

“It feels pretty good, and I couldn’t have done this without my teammates,” Clark said. “They get on base, and they are the ones who did this for me.”

Freshman utility player Shelby Woodard impacted the game from the pinch-hitting role, hitting two three-run homeruns in back-to-back games.

The Lions host Union (10-35, 3-23 GSC) in a weekend conference series April 16-17 at the UNA Softball Complex. Despite the Bulldogs being at the bottom of the standings, Cozart said her team would not overlook anyone.

“We can’t let up,” Cozart said. “We are No. 1 in the conference right now, so everybody will be looking to beat us. We have to understand that, keep fighting and keep doing what we’re doing.”