RICHMOND, Ky. - The Eastern Kentucky University softball team finishes up their road schedule as they head to Florence, AL for a matchup with the North Alabama Lions.

The Colonels (32-13, 13-4 ASUN) have yet to drop an ASUN series this season, sitting 2.0 games in the lead of the Gold Division ahead of Central Arkansas and 2.5 games ahead of Austin Peay.

The three-game series kicks off with a lone game on Saturday at 4 PM ET. A Sunday doubleheader will finish the series at noon and approximately 2:30 PM ET.

EKU and UNA have already met once this season in Richmond. The Lions took game one in a 2-1 battle before the Colonels bounced back to take the series with 2-1 and 6-0 wins in games two and three.

Overall, the Lions lead the series with the Colonels at 8-5, but the Colonels have won three of the last five meetings.

All three games of the series will be available on ESPN+ with live stats available as well.

SCOUTING THE LIONS

The Lions (29-15, 9-9 ASUN) come into the weekend riding a three-game sweep of Bellarmine, having won two of their last three ASUN series. UNA rode to comfortable 9-2 and 8-2 wins in games one and two but snuck away with the sweep in a 2-1 extra innings victory in game three.

Alivia Wilken and Emily Simon are the top pitchers in the circle for UNA. Simon brings the lowest ERA of the pitching staff at 1.70 and the lowest allowed batting average at .197. Wilken leads the team in strikeouts (93) and WHIP (1.18), making the most appearances in the circle with 23 and most complete games at 10.

Hailey Jones is the leading Lion offensively, posting the highest batting average at .395 while also leading in hits (60), RBIs (45), and slugging percentage (.632). Laura Leigh Wheeler follows close behind with an average of .370 and 38 RBIs. Briley Dover and Bayleigh Rouse also record high batting averages at .353 and .336.

LAST TIME OUT

The Colonels dueled the University of Kentucky Wildcats in a midweek matchup on Wednesday, falling to their SEC foe, 1-5.

Maddi Rutan pitched 5.0 innings, recording seven strikeouts and throwing a no-hitter through four innings before the Wildcats broke the stalemate with three runs in the fifth. Victoria Byrum finished the final 2.0 innings with one strikeout.

Kennedy Drafton tallied the lone Colonel RBI, drawing a bases-loaded walk with a good eye on four straight balls.