Baseball Splits Doubleheader With Thomas

MOBILE, Ala-- The University of Mobile Rams split a non-conference twin bill with Thomas University Tuesday, falling 8-6 in 10 innings in the opener and taking the 7-inning finale 6-3.

Mobile (17-17, 9-9) visits Auburn University-Montgomery this weekend for a three-game SSAC series, beginning with a 6 pm contest Friday.

In the finale, Cole Vaughan worked 5 innings of 5 hit ball to grab the win. The lefty allowed 2 earned runs and struck out 2 while throwing 60 pitches. Drew Esslinger worked a perfect 7th for the save.

Josh Blaylock and Ryne Phillips each went 3-for-4, Justin Beck finished 2-for-3 with 2 RBI and Cameron White finished 2-for-4 with 1 RBI.

Thomas led 3-1 heading to the bottom of the 5th, when the Rams plated 4 runs on 3 hits in the inning. The first three hitters reached to load the bases and Justin Beck tied the game with a 2-run single. Keith Granger added a sac fly and Blaylock tacked on a 2-out RBI-single in the frame.

In the opener, Blaylock took the loss after giving up 2 runs on 4 hits in 3 innings of relief work. Nick Sutton picked up the win for Thomas with 3 innings of 1-hit shutout ball.

Brady King finished 3-for-5 with 2 RBI and Blaylock, Ryan Waltman and Beck each added a pair of hits.

The Rams battled back to tie the game twice before falling in the 10th. The first occasion came when the team plated 2 in the 5th on a RBI-groundout from Ryne Phillips and a RBI-single from Waltman to tie the game at 5-5. After Thomas scored a run in the 6th to go ahead 6-5, King extended the game with a RBI-single in the bottom of the 7th.

In the 10th, Joey Kampfer and Mike Lane drove in runs to make it 8-6 Nighthawks.