FLORENCE, Ala. – Swept for just the second time this season, the University of West Alabama baseball team dropped its doubleheader against No. 17 North Alabama on Saturday by scores of 8-6 and 7-3. The Tigers fall to 18-20 (4-13 Gulf South Conference) on the season with the losses while the Lions improve to 34-10 (12-4 GSC).

The visitors started off nicely in the day's first game, producing a run in both the first and third innings.

Brian Simone doubled with one out in the first, advanced to third on a productive groundout by Kevin Deese, and then scored when Colin McKeen singled through the right side. In the third inning, Deese was hit by a pitch and alertly moved from first to third on another base knock from McKeen into left-center. That allowed Deese to score when Deon Williams singled later in the inning.

McKeen finished the game with three hits.

Coupled with the quick start offensively was an impressive beginning to the game by West Alabama starter Taylor Bratton (2-4). He retired nine of the first 10 men he faced, holding the Lions scoreless into the fourth inning including picking up four strike outs.

UWA pitchers struck out 10 Lions in the contest as Bratton fanned a total of six while Colton Henderson and Jesse Boyd both punched out a pair.

Things became a little shaky for Bratton in the fourth as the hosts got to him for a couple of runs, and the flood gates opened up in the fifth as four consecutive hits – topped off by Jared Mothershed's second homer of the weekend – led to four runs and a 6-2 advantage for UNA.

The Tigers responded with a two-run home run from Micah Reaves in the sixth to cut the lead in half. The blast was Reaves' fourth of the season, but the Lions were undaunted by the long ball and tacked on a run in the bottom frame to sit on top 7-4.

Ladarrius Cole and Simone scored in the seventh to make it a one-run ballgame, but the Red and White left the bases loaded in the inning and could not threaten again after the Lions pushed across an insurance run in their half of the seventh.

Chad Boughner (8-1) pitched 6.1 innings in earning the win, and Casey Jones (2) tossed the final 2.2 innings to earn his first save of the season.

The Tigers also enjoyed a quick 2-0 lead in the nightcap.

Simone started the scoring in the day's finale when he blasted his third bomb of the season to straightaway center in the top of the first. Hit by a pitch to lead the game off, Cole also scored on the homer.

UWA starter Barry Meeks (3-5) struggled, however, in the bottom frame as he walked the first three men he faced and then surrendered a pair of two-RBI base hits as North Alabama took a 4-2 lead. The Tigers added another run to pull within one in the third but did no further damage despite threatening on multiple occasions.

The Tigers outhit the Lions by a 12-9 clip in the nightcap, but the squad also left 14 men on base in the game.

Three of the 12 Tiger hits came off the bat of Jay Jennings, while Simone added a double to join Clint Brown with a pair of hits in the contest.

Meeks recovered nicely from the rough first as he finished the day scattering six hits over five innings, and he did not walk any other Lion batters after the first while ending the day with six strikeouts.

Johnny Hornbuckle (7-3) nearly went the distance for the Lions, tossing 6.2 innings before giving way to Casey who earned his second save of the day and the year.