MOBILE, Ala-- The 8th-ranked University of Mobile softball team dropped a SSAC West doubleheader to 2nd-ranked William Carey University by scores of 4-3 and 5-0 Thursday.

Mobile (31-15, 11-9) will next play at the 2011 Southern States Athletic Conference Tournament April 28-30 in Columbus, GA.

The opener saw William Carey tally 3 runs in the 1st inning to back Anna Ard, who picked up the complete-game victory, allowing 3 earned runs on 6 hits in 7 innings, while fanning 7 and walking 1. Kamaron strickland took the loss after allowing 4 runs on 8 hits in 7 innings of work.

Mayles Rodriguez finished 2-2 with a solo home run for Mobile, while Kirstyn Joiner was 1-2 with 1 RBI. Jasmine Shelby went 3-3 with 2 doubles to lead William Carey, while Tan Montgomery added 2 hits at the top of the order.

After WCU jumped ahead 3-0 in the 1st, Mobile started to chip away with single tallies in the 3rd, 4th and 5th innings, but the Lady Crusaders scored the winning run in the 4th, when Shelby led off with a double and scored on a 2-out RBI single from Montgomery.

Mobile cut it to 4-3 in the 5th on Joiner's RBI-single, scoring Holli McLeod, but Ard fanned the final batter to strand two runners.

Game two saw Kelsey Jo Smith twirl a 2-hit shutout for William Carey, as the Lady Crusader bats took early control with 2 runs in the 1st and 3rd innings.

Jessica Rogers and Milagros Lozada recorded the only two hits for Mobile. Smith went 2-2 at the plate for Carey, while Shelby added 2 hits. Jeana Erickson hit a 2-run homer to center in the 1st and Judy Barber went opposite field with a 2-run double in the 3rd to do the bulk of the damage for the visitors.