Final Score:  Lipscomb: 7, North Alabama: 3
Location:  Florence, Ala. (Mike D. Lane Field) 
Records:  Lipscomb: 20-15 (9-5, ASUN), North Alabama: 8-24 (2-12, ASUN)

THE SHORT STORY
Lipscomb Baseball grabbed an early lead and never looked back to defeat North Alabama 7-3 Friday night, securing the series victory.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED 
 
Lipscomb quickly jumped on North Alabama and took a 1-0 lead. Caleb Ketchup worked a four-pitch walk to start things off and advanced to third on a pair of wild pitches. He scored when Maddux Houghton delivered a ground ball RBI for the lead after the visitor's half of the first inning. 
 
In his seventh start of the season, Michael Dunkelberger worked around a leadoff base knock to hold the Lions off the board in the bottom of the first, keeping the Lipscomb lead. 
 
After a scoreless second inning, the Bisons added to its lead in the top of the third. Houghton got things going with a one-out single to center field. Two-straight walks loaded the bases and Rudy Maxwell delivered a sacrifice fly that scored Houghton for a 2-0 lead. A strikeout stranded two on base for Lipscomb, but not before adding to the lead.
 
The Bisons scored a few more in the top of the third to quickly jump out to a five-run lead. John Shields and Ethan Stamps gave Lipscomb a pair of base runners with back-to-back singles. Tiger Borom juiced the bases with no outs when he worked a full-count walk and Ketchup took advantage with a base-clearing double to left field for a 5-0 lead. Houghton was hit by a pitch for runners at the corners still with no outs. Lundgrin hit into a double play, but it drove another run across home plate for a 6-0 lead heading into the bottom of the fourth. 
 
Dunkelberger continued to deal and kept UNA off the board through the fifth inning. 
 
Lipscomb's offense threatened again in the top of the sixth with a pair of two-out walks, but both runners were stranded to keep the Bisons' lead at six runs. North Alabama was able to crack the scoreboard in the bottom of the sixth when a hit batsman scored, but Dunkelberger limited the damage to a run as a double play ball ended the inning with Lipscomb ahead 6-1. The Lions threatened again in the bottom of the seventh when it loaded the bases, but Dunkelberger dug deep and forced a ground ball to get out of the inning with no damage. 
 
Matthew Maldonado took over on the mound in relief in the top of the eighth. North Alabama got a pair of base runners, but Maldonado got one swinging to end the frame scoreless. 
 
In the top of the ninth, Houghton got his second hit of the night with a ground ball through the left side. He stole second and advanced to third base on a ground ball. He scored an insurance run for the Bisons for a 7-1 lead when Malik Williams delivered a sacrifice fly to center field. 
 
North Alabama scored a pair in the bottom of the ninth inning on a home run, but it wasn't enough as Lipscomb took the series with a 7-3 victory. 
 
HERD NOTES

• Friday's win marked Lipscomb's ninth-consecutive ASUN victory. 
• Houghton had the Bisons' only multi-hit game. 
• Dunkelberger threw seven innings allowing just one run and struck out six.

 
UP NEXT
The final game of the series at North Alabama is slated for Saturday, April 16 at 1 p.m. CT.