The Lions took two of three games in a home weekend series against the University of West Georgia to improve their season record to 20-19, moving above the .500 mark for the first time this season.

The Lions dropped the first game of the series 5-2 after tying the game in the third inning and again in the fourth. UNA third baseman Dylan Boston led the Lions with three hits, but four UNA pitchers surrendered 12 hits to the Wolves and lost the lead in a three-run seventh inning.

Lions’ left fielder Bradley Noland said West Georgia’s pitching was on point Friday and the Lions made too many mistakes.

“Friday they had a really tough pitcher out there,” Noland said. “He really had his stuff working and we weren’t able to take advantage of enough opportunities to come away with the win.”

The doubleheader on April 5 was a different story for the Lions.

“We came out Saturday and really played well,” Noland said. “It was nice to play the way we know we can and win the series.”

The Lions took the first game 6-2 behind a strong hitting performance that saw UNA tally 11 hits, just the 10th time this season the Lions have reached double-digit hits in a game. UNA pitcher Riley Sanderson got his fifth win of the season.

“I think the guys are seeing the ball a lot better at this point in the season,” Sanderson said. “I think you can tell that we are hitting the ball a lot more consistent and they are more comfortable up there now.”

The second game was tight after a back-and-forth opening three innings that saw West Georgia take a 1-0 lead in the opening frame. The Lions tied it in the second inning and took the lead for good in the third. Strong pitching from UNA junior Kyle Conkle kept the Lions ahead and earned Conkle his third win of the season.

With the wins the Lions move their record to 20-19 on the season and 10-14 in conference.

Noland said the season has been a rollercoaster ride.

“I mean, we aren’t where we want to be,” Noland said. “I feel like we are playing good ball right now. We’ve just kept playing for each other and trusting each other. After a while you’ve got to hate losing more than you like winning. I think we have a lot left that we can write for our season.”

Sanderson said he expects the Lions to keep the winning ways rolling into the conference tournament.

“Everybody is more relaxed now, not as uptight,” Sanderson said. “We’re all still focused and serious, but we’ve gotten past the frustration.”