JACOBS FIELD, MOBILE, Ala. - The University of Mobile Baseball team hosted a three-game conference series against Brewton-Parker College at Jacobs Field on Friday and Saturday, Mar. 31 - Apr. 1, beginning the series with a doubleheader on Friday afternoon. No. 8 Mobile began the weekend with a dominant 9-0 shutout win in the seven-inning game one, following that with an 8-4 victory in the nightcap. On Saturday, the Rams concluded the series with a 13-9 victory over the Barons, sweeping Brewton-Parker on the weekend.
The weekend success improves Mobile's overall record to 24-6 on the season, while improving the conference record to 10-2. Meanwhile, Brewton-Parker's struggles on the season continued against the eighth-ranked Rams over the weekend as the Barons have now lost 16-consecutive contests this year.
Friday Recap - Mobile Starts Weekend with Doubleheader Sweep
In the first game of the series on Friday, Mobile's 9-0 win was highlighted by starting pitcher Kyle White. White tossed Mobile's first complete game on the mound during the 2023 season, doing so without allowing a run. White finished with seven shutout innings, striking out six batters and allowing only four hits. The senior finished with 105 pitches thrown in the victory. On the mound, White's record improves to 2-1 this season.
At the plate, Mobile slugged their way to a shutout win, tallying four extra base hits in the game. Three of Mobile's extra base hits came via the long ball as Trevor Andrews kicked off the scoring in the bottom of the first inning with his team-leading 12th homer of the season. One inning later, Mobile scored two more runs off RBI fielder's choices by Tucker Musgrove and Jackson Breal, later loading the bases in the same inning with Samuel Plash at the plate. Plash then promptly unloaded the bases with a three-run double to the left center field wall to open the game up for the Rams. After the first two innings, Mobile led the Barons, 6-0.
Later in the game, Plash continued his strong offensive day with a solo blast to left center, giving him four RBIs in the game. For good measure, Tucker Musgrove unloaded on a pitch one inning later for a two-run homer to put the Rams up nine runs. From there, White closed things out in the top of the seventh to earn the win.
Plash finished game one with a 2-for-3 battling line, recording four RBIs and his second homer of the season. He also added a base on balls. For Musgrove, the junior smacked his fifth homer of the year, finishing 2-for-4 at the plate with three RBIs. Trevor Andrews joined both Plash and Musgrove in recording two hits and a home run.
Following the game one victory, the two conference foes met in the nightcap on Friday as Brewton-Parker tried to respond to the previous defeat. However, Mobile continued their strong offensive momentum against the Barons' pitching staff, scoring five total runs across the second, third, and fourth innings. Four of Mobile's five hits that drove in runs across those three innings were extra base hits as Trevor Wells and J.T. Lastorka recorded home runs. The Rams led 5-0 going into the middle innings.
In the top of the sixth, Brewton-Parker finally managed to get on the scoreboard, pushing across four runs to cut the Mobile lead to just one run. Landon Moore then relieved Mobile starter Tyler Cruse on the mound and shut down the Baron offense. For Mobile, the Rams scored three important insurance runs in the bottom of the eighth, two coming off the bat of Tucker Musgrove who drove a triple to the right center field wall. Moore then closed the game out in the top half of the ninth and earned the save in the 8-4 win.
Cruse finished with six innings of work as the starting pitcher for Mobile, striking out 10 batters in the process. Offensively, Tucker Musgrove once again tallied three RBIs, giving him six on the day in the doubleheader.
Saturday Recap - Mobile Breaks Out the Brooms
One day following Mobile's doubleheader sweep, the two teams met on Saturday to close out the series. Mobile's bats stayed hot, scoring 13 total runs across the third, fourth, and fifth innings. The Rams scored six runs in the bottom of the third as the game went into a lightning delay at the end of the third inning. The weather delay lasted approximately one hour at Jacobs Field before play resumed in the fourth inning.
In the bottom of the fourth, Mobile picked up right where they left off and scored six more runs. The Rams added another run in the fifth. Looking promising that the series finale was going to end early due to the NAIA's run rule in nine-inning baseball games, Brewton-Parker had other plans and rattled the Mobile bullpen. The Barons made things interesting late, scoring nine runs over the last four innings, but was unable to complete the comeback in the end. Mobile took the 13-9 victory to sweep Brewton-Parker on Saturday.
In the win, Tucker Musgrove once again was stellar, hitting for the cycle with a 4-for-5 battling line. Musgrove recorded a single in his first at-bat of the game, later adding a home run in the third inning and a triple in the fourth. Needing just a two-bagger to complete the cycle, Musgrove stepped up to the plate in the sixth inning and delivered. What looked to be a routine single to center field fielded on one hop by Barons center fielder Kennard Dawson, Musgrove sprinted out of the box and took a hard turn around first to record the hustle double to complete the cycle. He tallied four RBIs in the win, giving him 10 RBIs across three-game series.
Sam Bowman recorded three RBIs in the series finale, finishing 2-for-2, while J.T. Lastorka tallied one hit, one RBI, and worked two walks. On the mound, Matthew Holston earned his first win on the rubber this season, completing five innings and allowing just one earned run and three hits.
Back on the Bus Next Week
The Rams will return to the road next week and are scheduled to play the next seven games on the schedule away from Jacobs Field. Mobile will face Stillman College in Tuscaloosa, Ala. next weekend, Apr. 7-8, beginning on Friday with a 1:00 p.m. CT doubleheader.
Mobile will be back at home at Jacobs Field on Apr. 21.
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.
