The Lions won two of the three games against the Shorter College Hawks in their opening Gulf South Conference series on March 2-3.

Despite the cold and snow, the Lions defeated the Hawks in 10-0 win during a single game Saturday.

Senior Chad Boughner pitched a complete game, allowing only two hits and walking one batter.

One of Shorter’s only two hits of the game came during the top of the first, but they were unable to score a run after a ground out, a fly ball out and a strike out.

Shorter got a single in the top of the second but was once again unable to score.

The Lions responded by getting four players on base in the bottom of the second, scoring two runs on RBIs from Thomas Lundborg and Eric Wilson.

The Lions sealed their win over Shorter during the fourth inning, adding five runs to the two they earned in the second inning. A forced run and a two-run RBI in the bottom of the fifth put UNA 10-0 over Shorter.

Juniors Jake Ward and Bradley Noland, along with sophomore Dylan Boston, led the Lions in hits Saturday with two each.

During the opener of Sunday’s doubleheader, UNA fell to Shorter 7-1.

Shorter opened the game by scoring one run in the first inning, taking the lead and never giving it up in the eight subsequent innings. A big seventh inning brought four runs to add to the three already accumulated.

UNA was unable to catch up, scoring only one run in the bottom of the fourth when Ward scored on a double hit by first baseman Josh Cyr.

Cyr is currently leading the Lions in RBIs, said Mike Keehn, head coach.

“He was one of the more consistent players this weekend, and he’s been one of the more consistent players this season,” Keehn said. “He’s done really well with staying with the approach we talk about and hitting what he’s pitched. He’s one of the most consistent hitters we have.”

The second game of the doubleheader gave UNA a win and the series after they beat the Hawks 10-1.

Junior Cade Medley pitched his first complete-game win of the season. He allowed the Hawks one run and eight hits over the course of seven innings.

The Lions were able to gain the lead during the first inning, after junior Eric Wilson scored.

However, the second and fourth innings were the gold mine for the Lions, since they scored five and four runs respectively, putting them 10-1 over Shorter.

Loaded bases in the second gave UNA the advantage, and Lundborg forced in the first run of the inning after being hit by a pitch. Three runs followed, and third baseman Andrew Almon drove home the final run of the inning with a single, advancing to the third before the inning ended on outs.

The Lions loaded the bases again in the fourth inning, and like Lundborg, junior Matthew Tittle forced in the inning’s first run after a hit-by-pitch. RBIs dominated the rest of the inning, coming from both Noland and Josh Carpenter.

“Overall, our approach was good and our pitching was good,” Keehn said. “But we really relaxed (during game two), and we played poor and made a lot of mistakes.”

Keehn said he thought game two would be a chance for the team to improve upon making a comeback when they’re down, but the pitching and plays weren’t there.

“We ended up losing a game that could be very important down the road,” he said.

This weekend, the Lions will play away at Delta State University. Keehn said the game should be a close one.

“They’re very good at home,” he said. “Delta State will capitalize on our mistakes. It’s a tough place to play, so we have to focus on doing the little things right.”