ASUN Baseball Championship Preview: North Alabama vs. Lipscomb

DELAND, Fla. (Interstat) — The seed North Alabama Lions (30-26) face the seed Lipscomb Bisons (27-24) on Friday in the winners’ bracket of the ASUN Baseball Championship at Melching Field. First pitch is scheduled for the afternoon/evening. The forecast temperature was not provided.

The Lions rolled into the double-elimination tournament with momentum, beating North Florida 11-4 on Thursday. North Alabama is 5-1 in its past six games, relying on a lineup that has scored at least five runs in four of those contests. Lipscomb also enters on a high note, defeating Florida Gulf Coast 4-1 on Thursday behind a dominant start from right-hander Alexander Llinas.

Pitching matchup

The game features two of the conference’s top arms. North Alabama’s Gavin Oswald (5-2, 3.18 ERA) has been electric in May, tossing five shutout innings in a 5-0 win over Jacksonville on Wednesday. Over his past two starts covering 10.1 innings, Oswald has allowed no earned runs on five hits with seven strikeouts. He struggled in two outings against Central Arkansas earlier this month, allowing three earned runs in four combined innings, but has regained his command.

Llinas (6-3, 3.78 ERA) was superb in Thursday’s win, allowing one earned run on four hits over 7.2 innings. The right-hander has been inconsistent — he gave up four earned runs in a loss at Central Arkansas on May 14 — but when locked in, he can dominate. In his two starts before that, he struck out four over 12 innings while allowing just two earned runs.

Season series

The teams split six regular-season meetings, each winning three games. Lipscomb won two of three in Florence, Alabama, from April 17-19, including a 6-0 shutout in the finale. North Alabama took two of three in Nashville from March 13-15, highlighted by a 13-7 victory.

Players to watch

For North Alabama, third baseman Cam Pruitt went 2-for-3 with an RBI in Thursday’s win over North Florida. Lipscomb’s lineup is balanced, but its pitching staff — anchored by Llinas — has held opponents to four runs or fewer in six of the past seven games.

Projection

Interstat’s game simulator projects a 7-6 Lipscomb victory in a high-scoring affair. The Bisons’ bullpen depth, combined with Llinas’ ability to work deep into games, gives them a slight edge. But North Alabama’s recent offensive surge and Oswald’s scoreless streak make this a toss-up in a championship setting.