TALLADEGA, Ala. - The University of Mobile Baseball team traveled north to Talladega, Ala. for a weekend conference series against the Talladega College Tornadoes to open up conference play in the Southern States Athletic Conference (SSAC). The Rams played one nine-inning game on Friday afternoon, Mar. 4 and followed Friday's action with two seven-inning games on Saturday, Mar. 5. Talladega managed to defeat Mobile in high-scoring games in the first two games of the series while Mobile blew out the Tornadoes to salvage the series in the final game Saturday evening.
Game One Recap - Mobile 11, Talladega 12
In game one on Friday, Mobile fell to Talladega in walk-off fashion, 12-11. The two teams traded runs throughout the entirety of the game with the Rams pushing across the first five runs of the game through the first two innings while scoring another early run in the fourth. However, Mobile allowed six Talladega runs across the second, third, and fourth innings to tie the game 6-6 entering the fifth inning where Mobile managed to take the lead, 7-6. The Rams later added another run in the sixth inning to grab a two-run lead.
Talladega then answered in the bottom half of the sixth inning with four runs of their own to grab their first lead of the game, 10-8. Mobile's bats did not go down quietly, answering Talladega's big four-run inning with a three-run inning in the seventh. The Tornadoes later tied the game again in the bottom of the seventh 11-11 while the eighth inning was the only inning of the entire game that did not see a run scored for either team. Talladega later hit a RBI single in the bottom of the ninth to earn a walk-off victory over Mobile in game one.
Trevor Wells got the scoring started for Mobile in the game, blasting his fifth homer of the season in the first inning. Wells finished with three RBI in the loss. Leadoff hitter Dalton Rone finished 2-for-4 at the plate while working two walks. Rone smoked his first home run of the season in the fourth inning. Shortstop Trent Avery, Mobile's second batter in the lineup, also finished 2-for-4 at the dish with two RBI.
Game Two Recap - Mobile 15, Talladega 16 | 7 Innings
In game two of the series the following day, the Tornadoes once again defeated Mobile in walk-off fashion. The Rams scored 10 runs in the first two innings, with seven coming in the second inning alone. Both Blake Roberts and Dalton Rone homered in the inning as Trevor Wells ripped his sixth home run of the season in the top of the first.
Similar to game one, Mobile and Talladega traded runs throughout the game as at least one run was scored in all seven innings. At the end of the sixth inning, the game was tied 14-14. Mobile then pushed across the go-ahead run via a RBI single from Blake Roberts in the top of the seventh. However, the Tornadoes answered with a two-run homer to walk off the Rams and hand Mobile their fourth-straight loss.
Roberts recorded his first home run in the win, finishing 2-for-3 with three RBI while working two walks. Dalton Rone also finished with three RBI in the loss, recording his second homer of the season and of the series. Trevor Wells had an outstanding game at the plate, finishing with two hits, including his three-run bomb, and seven runs-batted-in. Mobile shortstop did not record an RBI in the loss, but finished with a team-high three hits in five plate appearances.
Game Three Recap - Mobile 23, Talladega 3 | 7 Innings
Following two offensive shootouts on the weekend, the series finale between Mobile and Talladega was all Mobile as the Rams scored 23 runs off 16 hits through seven innings, blowing out Talladega to salvage the series and avoid the sweep.
Mobile scored in every inning in the series finale, putting together two five-run innings. Mobile scored five in the top of the first inning to get the party started and later scored five more insurance runs in the sixth.
Blake Roberts hit another homer, his second on the year and in the series, as he finished 3-for-5 with three RBI. Due to the blowout, Mobile Head Coach Jon Seymour saw opportunity to empty his bench and give playing time to several newcomers on the roster for Mobile. Samuel Plash hit a big pinch-hit home run in the win, his third of the season. Freshman Kline Smith was remarkable from off the bench as he led Mobile with six RBI in the win, recording his first collegiate triple and a grand slam for the first collegiate home run of his college career. Smith went 2-for-2 as a late entrant in the victory.
Overall, the offense was on fire all series for Mobile as the team recorded 49 total runs off 37 hits. On the season, Mobile is batting .307 as a team through the first 17 games while slugging .486. Mobile has 17 total team home runs this year. The Rams' overall record now sits at 10-7 on the year following the weekend in Talladega, Ala. while now seeing a 1-2 conference record following the first SSAC series of the year.
Mobile returns home to Jacobs Field this upcoming weekend for a big three-game conference series against the Faulkner Eagles on Friday and Saturday, Mar. 11-12. The first game of the series is scheduled for Friday, Mar. 11 at 6:00 p.m. CT.
About the University of Mobile
The University of Mobile is a Christ-centered liberal arts and sciences institution with a vision of higher education for a higher purpose, founded to honor God by equipping students for their future professions through rigorous academic preparation and spiritual transformation. Core values are: Christ-Centered, Academically-Focused, Student-Devoted and Distinctively-Driven. The university offers on-campus and online bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees in over 75 academic programs. Founded in 1961, the University of Mobile is affiliated with the Alabama Baptist State Convention and is located 10 miles north of Mobile, Alabama on a campus of over 880 acres.
For information about the University of Mobile, areas of study, admissions and more, visit umobile.edu, connect with UM on social media @univofmobile, or call Enrollment Services at 1.800.WIN.RAMS or 251.442.2222.
