LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. - The University of Mobile Baseball team returned to action on the road on Saturday, Mar. 18, battling two teams ranked inside the top five of the current NAIA Baseball Top 25 Coaches' Poll. Mobile, who ranks No. 8 in the latest poll, began the day with a morning matchup against No. 2 Tennessee Wesleyan, following that with an afternoon game against No. 5 Georgia Gwinnett College. The meetings with Tennessee Wesleyan and Georgia Gwinnett marks the third time this season the Rams have faced an opponent ranked inside the top five.
Entering Saturday with a 20-2 overall record, Mobile fell in both non-conference games in Lawrenceville, Ga., dropping to 20-4 overall.
Mobile Drops Two
To begin the day, Mobile faced off with the Bulldogs of Tennessee Wesleyan, and fell 8-4 in nine innings. After Tennessee Wes. managed to score a run in the top of the first, the Rams answered with a run of their own in the bottom half of the second following a Sam Bowman RBI single. However, the bats came alive for the Bulldogs the following three innings as Tennessee Wes. pushed across six total runs to take a 7-1 lead entering the bottom of the sixth.
Mobile did answer back with a single run in the sixth after a passed ball, while later adding another run in the bottom of the eighth. Entering the ninth inning with Tennessee Wes. leading 7-3, the Bulldogs scored an add-on run in the final inning to go up five runs on the Rams. Mobile's comeback began in the bottom half with a run, but fell short as the second-ranked Bulldogs handed No. 8 Mobile the 8-4 defeat.
Mobile was outhit 13-9 in Saturday's first game, committing two errors. Trevor Wells, Sam Bowman, and Landon Moore all led Mobile with two hits each in the loss, all combining for a 6-for-11 game at the plate. On the mound, Mobile's head coach Jon Seymour used seven pitchers, with no arm throwing over two innings against the Bulldogs.
Later in the afternoon after the loss to Tennessee Wes., the Rams faced No. 5 Georgia Gwinnett on the Grizzlies' home turf. Georgia Gwinnett, the 2021 NAIA Baseball National Champions, came out hot, scoring three runs in the bottom of the first inning of the afternoon's scheduled nine-inning matchup. Two innings later, Georgia Gwinnett scored four more runs to take a 7-1 lead over Mobile. The Rams managed their first run in the top of the third inning following a RBI double by Tucker Musgrove.
Fast forward to the sixth inning where Mobile scored two more runs to cut into the deficit. Trevor Wells got the scoring started in the sixth by driving his eighth home run of the year, being followed by a Georgia Gwinnett error that scored the Rams' second run of the inning. Trailing by just four entering the bottom half of the sixth, Georgia Gwinnett made a statement by tallying eight runs alone in the sixth to take a 17-3 lead. Following a scoreless top of the seventh for the Rams, the game was called at 17-3 due to the NAIA's run-rule after seven innings.
Georgia Gwinnett outhit Mobile 14-6 on Saturday afternoon, with the Rams committing five errors. Both Trevor Wells and Landon Moore added two more hits each to their Saturdays as both scored a run. J.T. Lastorka and Tucker Musgrove were responsible for Mobile's other two hits in the loss, while each adding a base-on-balls. On the mound, the Rams were forced to use six pitchers in six innings of work. A total of 15 of the 17 runs scored were earned runs on the Mobile pitching staff.
Back Home and Back to Conference Play
Coming off the tough Saturday against two very good teams, Mobile will return to SSAC action next weekend by hosting the Loyola University Wolf Pack (La.) for a three-game series at Jacobs Field. The three-game series is scheduled to begin on Friday, Mar. 24 with a single game at 6:00 p.m. CT, and end on Saturday with a doubleheader at 1:00 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.
