MOBILE, Ala. - The University of Mobile Baseball team continued their nice run this past weekend at Jacobs Field as the Rams hosted the 20th-ranked Freed-Hardeman Lions for three non-conference games and came away with a series sweep. The three-game sweep is the second sweep over the last two weekends for Mobile at Jacobs Field. The Rams hosted and swept the Tigers of Stillman College the weekend prior.
Mobile and Freed-Hardeman played a doubleheader on Friday, Apr. 15 and followed that with the series finale on Saturday afternoon, Apr. 16. On Friday, Mobile took game one in seven innings 9-4 and followed with a 13-9 victory in the nightcap. Offense was on display this past weekend as both teams entered the series finale on Saturday with a team .306 batting average. The Rams had the momentum on Saturday, however, and sent the Lions home with an 8-2 loss in the series finale and three losses total on the weekend. With a series win against No. 20 Freed-Hardeman, the Rams have now put together three series victories over ranked opponents this year (No. 8 Keiser & No. 18 William Carey), while splitting a two-game series against No. 11 Cumberlands.
Game One Highlights (Fri. Apr. 15) - No. 20 Freed-Hardeman 4, Mobile 9 (7 Innings)
- Mobile and Freed-Hardeman were tied 3-3 after five innings before the Lions pushed across the go-ahead run in the top of the sixth inning.
- The Rams answered in the bottom half of the sixth, scoring six runs, and eventually winning, 9-4.
- Brett Buck drove in four of Mobile's six runs in the sixth with a grand slam, his seventh homer of the year.
- Dalton Rone drove in two in game one, finishing 2-for-3 at the plate as the No. 9 hitter in the lineup.
- Bailey Sellers was awarded the win on the mound after pitching six innings. He improves to 4-2 this season.
Game Two Highlights (Fri. Apr. 15) - No. 20 Freed-Hardeman 9, Mobile 13
- Both teams recorded 29 hits combined in game two, while scoring 22 total runs.
- Mobile led 9-2 after two innings, but allowed Freed-Hardeman to make it a one-run game in the seventh inning.
- Redshirt-Freshman Sam Bowman lined a bases-clearing triple to center field in the bottom half of the seventh, giving the Rams insurance runs late.
- Bowman finished 3-for-5 at the dish with his three RBIs, and scored two runs. He was a home run away from the cycle.
- Both Trent Avery and Trevor Wells joined Bowman with three RBIs a piece in the game two victory as all three players combined to finished 8-for-13 at the plate.
- Tucker Musgrove recorded his seventh home run of the season in game two, a solo shot to lead off the bottom of the first inning.
- Thomas James got the win on the mound, pitching 4.2 innings and striking out five. James was hit with two unearned runs over his work from out of the bullpen.
- The Rams out-hit Freed-Hardeman, 17-12.
Game Three Highlights (Sat. Apr. 16) - No. 20 Freed-Hardeman 2, Mobile 8
- The Rams scored the first six runs of the game across the first four innings.
- Samuel Plash got the scoring started in the bottom of the first with a two-run double.
- Christian Waltman blasted a three-run homer in the fourth inning, his eighth homer of the season and seventh over the last three weeks.
- Catcher Blake Roberts finished 2-for-3 in the series finale and drove in three RBIs.
- Freed-Hardeman left 13 players on base in the loss, twice with the bases loaded.
- Jeffrey Griffin earned his first win on the mound as a Ram, pitching two innings of relief while striking out two.
The three-game sweep over the 20th-ranked Lions of Freed-Hardeman advances Mobile's overall record to 23-14 on the season and extends the Rams' win streak to six games. Mobile's conference record in the SSAC sits at 9-9 this year as the team will return to conference play this upcoming weekend in Cochran, Ga. for three games against Middle Georgia State. Mobile will face Middle Georgia St. in a doubleheader on Friday, Apr. 22 at 2:00 p.m. CT, with the series finale scheduled for Saturday, Apr. 23 at 12:00 p.m. CT. Mobile's scheduled non-conference doubleheader against Point University on Tuesday, Apr. 19 as been canceled.
The Rams' offense has been lights out for much of the 2022 season as the team batting average currently totals .306 with an on-base percentage at .421. Mobile is slugging 504 this year with a total of 48 team home runs. Five Rams have seven or more homers this season.
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.
