May 6, 2005

Rams eliminate regular season champs, 12-6

JACKSON, Miss. -- The University of Mobile baseball team (37-22) eliminated no. 1 seeded and regular season conference champion Louisiana State University Shreveport from the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference tournament with a 12-6 victory over the Pilots Friday afternoon in Jackson, Mississippi.

The Rams exploded out of the gate with three runs in each of the first two innings to build a 6-0 lead.

In the top of the first inning, Carnell Parker led off the game with an infield single and advanced to second base on Josh Banashak's walk. After a single through the left side of the infield by short stop Eddie Davila loaded the bases with nobody out, Lance Howard drove in the first run of the game with an RBI sacrifice fly to centerfield.

Next, third baseman Nate Thomas doubled down the left field line scoring Banashak and advancing Davila to third base with only one out. Finally, designated hitter J.C. Santana hit another sacrifice fly scoring Davila and giving Mobile the early 3-0 lead.

In the second inning, Justin Rosen was hit by a pitch and immediately scored when Daniel Harper grounded to the LSU Shreveport shortstop whose throw made its way down the right field line. Parker then reached on his second infield single of the game and pinch runner T.J. Esfeller scored to extend the Mobile lead to 5-0. Later with the bases loaded, Thomas drew a bases loaded walking forcing in the sixth run of the game while driving in his second RBI of the game in the process.

After LSU Shreveport got one of those runs back in the bottom of the second inning, the Rams scored another run in the top of the fifth and added five more in the top of the sixth inning to take their largest lead of the game at 12-1.

With two outs and nobody on in the top of sixth inning, Thomas collected his second hit of the game with a line drive shot to left field that got out of the park in a hurry for just his second home run of the season. Still down to their final out of the inning, the Rams pushed across four more runs in the inning highlighted by Rosen's two RBI triple to deep center field.

Starting pitcher Jason Ragan got into a bit of trouble in the bottom of the seventh inning surrendering five runs but the Rams had plenty of run support by then and Ragan finished up with seven innings pitched allowing six runs and seven base hits. Ragan stuck out seven in game.

Chris Copeland pitched a perfect eighth inning and Ron McMilland finished off the ninth as the Rams advance to tomorrow's championship round.

Mobile will play tomorrow, Saturday, May 7 at 2 p.m. against either William Carey College or Belhaven College. The Rams must win two games to claim the GCAC tournament championship.

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