GULF SHORES, Ala. - On day one of the 2022 NAIA Softball Opening Round Gulf Shores Bracket, the higher seeds prevailed in two afternoon games on Monday, May 16 at the Gulf Shores Sports Complex. The No. 2 seed of Coastal Georgia began the day with a 5-3 victory over Our Lady of the Lake University, who was given the third seed of the Gulf Shores Bracket. The top-seeded Rams of Mobile then followed with an 11-3 rout over the fourth-seeded Vikings of Valley City State in five innings. With Mobile's victory, the Rams improve their overall season record to an NAIA-best 47-2.
In Mobile's dominating win, the Rams scored at least one run in all five innings, trailing Valley City State just once in the game. Eila Infante drove in the game's first run with a sacrifice fly to shallow left center field, scoring Jaden Morace who reached base all four at-bats in the game. Morace crossed the plate to score three times in the game and finished 2-for-2 with two walks.
Kaylee Pullin led the Rams with three RBI in the victory, driving in two with a two-out opposite field triple in the bottom of the second inning. Pullin was later responsible for the game-ending run in the bottom of the fifth with an opposite field two-out single.
Overall, Mobile saw five batters in the lineup record two hits in the win and six batters record at least one RBI. Additionally, Mobile's Katie Head blasted her team-leading sixth home run of the season in the bottom of the third.
Despite being out-hit 12-5, Valley City State managed to hold their own with the bats against great Mobile pitching, scoring three runs in the second inning and chasing starter Emily Butts after 1 2/3 innings of work. The Vikings saw at least one batter reach base in all five innings, but ultimately left eight runners on base in the loss. Mobile's Brinkley Goff relieved Butts in the pitcher's circle in the second inning and finished with 3 1/3 innings of relief work, earning the win to advance to 21-0 on the season. Both Butts and Goff now have an identical 21-0 record this year.
After the conclusion of day one in the Gulf Shores Bracket, Mobile is now scheduled to face Coastal Georgia in the winner's bracket on Tuesday, May 17 at 11:00 a.m. CT. The winner will advance to the opening round championship game on Wednesday, May 18, while the loser will face the winner of the 1:00 p.m. CT elimination game featuring Our Lady of the Lake and Valley City State. The final elimination game is slated for 3:00 p.m. CT on Tuesday afternoon. Three games total are scheduled for Tuesday at the Gulf Shores Sports Complex and will be broadcasted live at https://team1sports.com/umobilerams/.
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.
