MONTGOMERY, Ala-- The University of Mobile softball team swept a SSAC West doubleheader from Faulkner University Monday, winning the opener 8-4 in the 10th and taking the finale 8-7.
Victoria Buie picked up the win in the opener with 3 innings of no-hit, shutout relief, while Faulkner's Katy Wiggins took the loss after surrendering 5 runs on 10 hits in 4.2 innings of relief. Haley Baker also worked in relief for Mobile and threw 5 innings of 1-hit, shutout ball.
Milagros Lozada, Nicole Walker and Hannah Beth Baker each finished 3-6 at the plate, while Erica Bracey finished 2-6 with a the decisive grand slam in the 7th inning. Jessica Swanson finished 2-5 with 2 doubles and Holli McLeod went 2-4 at the plate.
Faulkner took a 4-1 lead after 2 innings and it stayed that way until Mobile forced extras with 2 in the 6th and 1 in the 7th. In that 6th, Bracey and Swanson started off with doubles, while Walker and Baker provided RBI-singles. Down to 3 outs in the 7th, Lozada led off with a single and three batters later scored on a Faulkner error to keep the game going.
Each team stranded base runners in the 8th and 9th until Mobile's bats went to work in the 10th. Jessica Rogers and Lozada singled to load the bases and Bracey took an 0-1 offering over the left field fence to clear the bases. Buie breezed through the 10th to finish it off.
Game two saw more back-and-forth between the teams, as Haley Baker picked up the victory as she scattered 4 hits over 1.2 innings of relief. Buie started and struck out 9 in 5.1 innings.
Mayles Rodriguez finished 2-5 with 2 doubles and 3 RBI, Jessica Rogers went 2-4 and Lozada finished 2-3 with 1 home run and 2 RBI. Swanson scored a pair of runs.
It looked like Mobile would cruise early in the game after a 4-run 2nd gave the team a 4-1 lead. All the runs scored with 2 outs as Rodriguez hit a 2-run double and McLeod swatted a RBI-double.
Mobile went ahead 7-1 with a 3-run 5th before Faulkner tallied 5 in the bottom half of the inning and a tying run in the 6th. They got 7 hits over those two innings.
After two quick outs in the top of the 7th, Hannah Beth Baker drew a walk and Rodriguez followed with the game-winning double. Faulkner came right back and threatened in the 7th, loading the bases with two singles and a walk. Mobile brought Buie into the game and she struck out the side, two looking to end the threat.
Mobile (22-6, 4-0) visits Belhaven Saturday at 2 pm for a doubleheader.