GULF SHORES, Ala. - The top seed of the 2022 NAIA Softball Opening Round continued to roll on Tuesday, May 17 as the University of Mobile Rams team defeated the College of Coastal Georgia Mariners 10-6 in seven innings. Coastal Georgia entered the Gulf Shores Bracket as the No. 2 seed and later fell in an elimination game Tuesday evening to Our Lady of the Lake University, the third-seeded team of the bracket, with a spot in the opening round championship game on the line.
The win for Mobile improves the Rams' overall record to a stellar 48-2 and advances the Rams to the opening round championship game on Wednesday. Mobile will need just one win over the Saints of Our Lady of the Lake on Wednesday to claim the opening round championship in Gulf Shores and advance to the 2022 NAIA Softball World Series in Columbus, Ga. next weekend. Due to double-elimination rules, Our Lady of the Lake must defeat Mobile twice on Wednesday to advance to Columbus.
Tuesday Game Recap; (1) Mobile 10, Coastal Georgia 6
In the victory on Tuesday over Coastal Georgia, Mobile used two big innings to seal the deal and grab the win in a three hour and nineteen-minute game. A lightning delay late that lasted roughly an hour caused the game to surpass the three-hour mark.
Both teams traded runs in the first inning with the Mariners scoring another run in the top of the second. Mobile then answered in the bottom half of the second inning with five-straight two-out hits that resulted in four runs. Mobile used four RBI singles in the inning for all the scoring.
Later in the fourth inning, Mobile pushed across four more runs over the Mariners to go up, 9-2. Kristen Black recorded a two-run single following a passed ball that scored Caitlin McRee and a bases-loaded walk by Katie Head.
Needing runs late, Coastal Georgia rallied in the top of the sixth inning with three runs following a three-run homer by Malorie Peacock, her second homer of the game against Mobile. Peacock's first home run came in the second inning. However, the lightning delay halted the momentum from the Mariners and delayed the game with two outs in the top of the sixth inning. Mobile starting pitcher Brinkley Goff managed to record a lineout to end the frame following the lengthy delay.
An error by Coastal Georgia in the bottom half of the sixth allowed Mobile an insurance run as the Rams later defeated Coastal Georgia 10-6 in the next half frame. Goff was awarded the win, improving to 22-0 from the pitcher's circle this season as she allowed six runs over six innings. Emily Butts closed things out from the circle in the final inning following the first two batters reaching and ended the game with a punch-out.
At the plate, Eila Infante and Jaden Morace led the Rams with three hits a piece, as Infante finished 3-for-4 with two RBIs and Morace finishing with a 3-for-4 line, scoring two runs and working a base-on-balls. Kristen Black also finished with two RBIs on Tuesday, recording a 2-for-4 battling line. Courtney Ellzey joined her three teammates in recording a multi-hit performance, finishing 2-for-3 with a walk and RBI.
Mobile faces Our Lady of the Lake on Wednesday at 11:00 a.m. CT at the Gulf Shores Sports Complex with a spot to the 2022 NAIA Softball World Series on the line. The opening round championship game 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.
