Final Score: Lipscomb: 13, North Alabama: 6
Location: Lipscomb, Tenn. (Ken Dugan Field)
Records: Lipscomb: 34-30 (20-10) North Alabama: 12-41 (5-25)
THE SHORT STORY
Lipscomb Baseball earned the ASUN West Division overall no. 1 seed heading into the ASUN Baseball Tournament with a decisive 13-6 victory over North Alabama.
HOW IT HAPPENED
North Alabama took an early 1-0 lead in the top of the first, scoring a run on a trio of hits.
Lipscomb was held off the board in the bottom of the first, but
Trace Willhoite connected on his fourth home run of the series in the bottom of the second. His 427-foot blast tied things 1-1.
The defensive battle continued through the third with both teams going scoreless in the frame.
Ike Buxton threw his third-consecutive scoreless inning in the top of the fourth as the game was tied heading into the home half of the inning.
The Bisons took the lead for the first time in the bottom of the fourth.
Mason Lundgrin led off the inning with a double and
Malik Williams singled for a pair of runners.
Rudy Maxwell cashed in with an RBI double to score both runners for a 3-1 Lipscomb lead after the fourth.
The lead continued to increase in the bottom of the fourth after Bertolani worked a one-out walk and advanced to scoring position on a wild pitch.
Caleb Ketchup stepped to the plate next and singled to left field to score Bertolani for a 4-1 run, but he advanced to second on the throw and took advantage of a Lions' error to score from second for a 5-1 lead. The Bisons then worked two bases-loaded walks to extend the lead 7-1 heading into the sixth inning.
North Alabama responded with a run in the top of the sixth to cut into the Bisons' lead 7-2 and continued to put the pressure on Lipscomb with three more runs in the top of the seventh for a 7-5 game.
Lipscomb punched back with a leadoff double from Maxwell and Willhoite went deep for the fifth time of the series. His two-run shot pushed Lipscomb back out to a four-run, 9-5 lead.
North Alabama closed in once again on the Bisons' lead in the top of the eighth when a leadoff hit batsman came around to score, but
Trey Nordmann came to the mound for the final out, stranding a runner.
Lipscomb gave Nordmann some extra cushion in the bottom of the eighth with hits from Ketchup, Williams, Maxwell, Willhoite and Shields to score four more for a 13-6 lead.
Nordmann shut the door in the top of the ninth to secure the 13-6 victory and the ASUN West Regular Season Championship.
HERD NOTES
- Willhoite hit five home runs during the series with North Alabama.
- Maxwell went 4-for-5 and Willhoite was 3-for-4 on the afternoon.
- Buxton picked up his sixth win of the season, improving to 6-3.
- Nordmann picked up his 12th save of the season.
