COLUMBUS, Ga. - Following a BYE in the first round of the 2022 NAIA Softball World Series, the top-seeded Rams of Mobile faced the Vikings of Grand View University on Friday evening, May 27 in Columbus and managed a run-rule victory over the Vikings, 9-1.
All nine runs Mobile pushed across were unanswered runs as Grand View scored the game's first run in the top of the first inning while chasing Mobile starting pitcher Brinkley Goff after just four batters. Emily Butts came in for the Rams in the first and cruised throughout the remainder of the game, allowing just one hit and one walk in 4 2/3 innings of work. Mobile's offense collected a trio of runs in the second and third innings to take the lead for good as Butts was awarded the win, improving to 23-0 from the pitcher's circle.
Errors came back to haunt the Vikings as the Grand View infield struggled, committing five errors in the five-inning game. Only four of Mobile's nine runs were earned on the Grand View pitching staff. Despite the errors, the Rams offense stayed hot and consistent, out-hitting Grand View, 7-1. Jaden Morace, Caitlin McRee, and Eila Infante each finished 2-for-4 at the plate in Friday's victory, with Jaden Morace leading the Rams with two RBI.
"This was huge for us," Mobile Head Coach Alison Sellers-Cook said following the blowout victory. After trailing 1-0 early to the Vikings, Sellers-Cook gathered her team in the dugout prior to the start of the bottom of the first and reminded her players to play the same game the team has played all season long. "Coming out there and putting runs up on the board, especially after we had a tough first inning, backing the pitcher up; that's what they have had, they had had each other's backs the entire time," Sellers-Cook said.
Looking ahead, Sellers-Cooks wants her team to stay focused and play one game at a time throughout the remainder of the NAIA Softball World Series.
The victory over Grand View advances Mobile to the winner's bracket of the 2022 NAIA Softball World Series where they will battle the fifth-seeded team of the University of Science & Arts (Okla.) on Saturday afternoon. First pitch is scheduled to begin within the 2:00 p.m. CT hour.
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.
