No. 11 North Alabama flexed its muscles and showcased why it is a perfect 6-0 in conference play to star the year as the Lions swept the Lee softball team 13-5 and 10-1 in Saturday's doubleheader from Butler Field.
A bright spot for the Lady Flames in an otherwise tough day was sophomore Taylor Moran. The Chattanooga native drilled three home runs in the two games and accounted for all six RBI. Moran is coming off being named the Gulf South Conference Player of the Week and is currently hitting .453 and slugging .887 to go along with five homers and 22 RBI.
The Lions (14-2, 6-0) and the Lady Flames (11-8, 4-4) will wrap up the series tomorrow at 2 p.m.
GAME 1 – LEE 5 UNA 13
The Lady Flames grabbed an early 2-0 lead on a two-run home run from Taylor Moran in the bottom of the first but saw the Lions use an 11-run fourth frame to break the game wide open.
The Lions scored 11 runs on seven hits and benefited from five Lee errors.
The Lady Flames would also walk three batters, two with the bases loaded and hit a batter in a forgettable inning.
Kara Brewer led the Lions with three hits while Veronica Westfall, Mackenzie Roberts and Meleah Hargett each drove in two.
Moran would rope her second home run of the game, a three-run shot, off the left field foul pole in the bottom of the fifth.
Leigh Beatenbough (5-2) started and was tagged with the loss as she gave up three runs on six hits in three-plus innings of work. Shonna Penney yielded three runs before Erika Greek tossed the final two innings allowing seven runs but only one earned
run.
Megan Garst pitched all five innings for the Lions to improve to 5-1 on the season.
GAME 2 – LEE 1 UNA 10
Game two was more of the same as the Lions used another big inning to blow up the contest. In the nightcap it was a seven-run fifth inning that spelled doom for the Lady Flames.
Bailey Nelson doubled and drove in two while Kara Brewer helped cap the big fifth inning with a 2-run triple. Westfall made it five hits on the day with a double, single and two runs scored.
Moran provided the only offense for the Lady Flames as she launched a solo shot to left in the bottom of the fourth for her third four-bagger of the day.
Penney (4-4) worked all five innings allowing 10 runs, nine earned on 13 hits. She struck out three and walked three.
Laken Distefano (6-0) stayed perfect on the season with a complete game one-hitter to go along with eight punch outs for North Alabama.