The Lions baseball team trampled the Kentucky State Thorobreds in a three-game sweep at home Jan. 23-24.

UNA topped KSU 21-0 in the first game of a doubleheader Saturday and 15-0 in the second game.

UNA set the tone for the opener by scoring four runs in the bottom of the first inning, going on to score at least one run in six of the seven subsequent innings.

Starting pitcher Chad Boughner pitched eight shutout innings in the opening game, sealing the Lions’ first win of the series and making him the winningest pitcher in the history of UNA’s baseball program.

Outfielder Eric Wilson hit a triple in the third inning that sent Taylor Bonifacio and Josh Carpenter home. All three of them scored three runs each during the game.

Outfielder Jake Ward and first baseman Josh Cyr both drove home four runs each during the opener.

Relief pitcher Jacob Westerhouse came in for the ninth inning and did his job, shutting down the Thorobreds with a final scoreless inning.

The Lions established their lead early in the second game, scoring seven runs in the first inning.

Wilson was again a key player of the game, scoring a three-run double in the first.

Senior Michael Watkins pitched, leaving the Thorobreds scoreless in every inning. He struck out 11 players and allowed only three hits during the game.

Junior Bradley Noland and sophomore Dylan Boston both ended the game three-for-four, while Drew Humphrey, Andrew Almon and Matthew Tittle followed closely, each scoring two runs.

Head Coach Mike Keehn said the team played good defense over the weekend and the pitching was solid.

“We challenged our pitchers to have quality outings,” he said. “One threw deep in the seventh and eighth innings, and one pitched an entire game, so that was good.”

Sunday’s game put the Lions 5-4 overall with a final win and the sweep of KSU. The score was 10-3.

Cade Medley started pitching during Sunday’s game, walking four players and striking out six. This was Medley’s first win for UNA, and he pitched six innings.

The top of the first inning put the Thorobreds one up on the Lions, but UNA gained a lead in the bottom half when Tittle hit a double and drove home Almon and Cyr.

The bottom of the fifth inning saw another surge in runs for the Lions, when they scored three runs on an RBI-single from Jake Ward and a two-run single from Carpenter.

After adding two runs in the seventh and one in the eighth, the Lions left KSU scoreless in the top of the ninth and took the sweep.

The Lions brought in sophomore Drew Mobley for relief in the seventh inning, and he gave up one run. Westerhouse pitched a scoreless eighth and junior Morgan McCarley pitched a scoreless

ninth.

Keehn said that even though the team won their game on Sunday, he saw mistakes.

“We were flat,” he said. “Our focus wasn’t well. In the game of baseball, anything can happen, and we’ve got to be able to maintain our focus during all three games.”

Looking ahead to the Lions’ three-game series against Shorter College this weekend, Keehn said anything is possible.

“When you start GSC play, everyone is still figuring out the lineup,” he said. “You have to be able to handle your anxiety and play well. When you take away records, they’re all good players. It just comes down to which team is going to be able to catch and throw the ball better.”

UNA will host Shorter College this weekend in a three-game series, with a doubleheader Saturday at 1 p.m. and a single game Sunday at 1 p.m.