Badger News

At the 2009 Gulf Coast Athletic Conference (GCAC) Baseball Tournament on Saturday, Spring Hill College lost an elimination game versus the University of Mobile by the score of 8-5 at Milton Wheeler Field.

Spring Hill loaded the bases with no outs in the 2nd inning, but managed to score just one run when Brad Holstein scampered home on a double play ball to Stephen Stork at shortstop.  Mobile would answer in the bottom of the inning with a 2-run single to center by Brad Sheffield.

Badger leftie Nick Clapper (4-8) allowed back-to-back solo homers to Mobile's Carlos Romero and Kevin Orso in the 3rd inning, giving the Rams a 4-1 advantage.  The Badgers refused to back down, however, and responded with a Grant Brasher RBI single in the 4th inning to pull within a 4-2 score.

The Rams built a 7-2 lead in the bottom of the 4th off a Stephen Stork line drive single to left and a 2-run single to left by Scott Mitchell.  Sheffield then lifted a run-scoring double to the wall in left to score Orso with the Rams' 8th run.

After Ryan Hall added a 3rd Badger run in the 6th inning with a sacrifice fly to right field, the Badgers scored twice in the 7th and brought the tying run to the plate, but Mobile reliever Ira Turner struck out Brasher to end the threat.

The Badgers would again rally to load the bases with two outs in the 8th, but Javier Cherta grounded back to a diving Turner who ended the inning with a toss to 1st base.

Once again, Spring Hill loaded the bases with two outs in the 9th, but Justin Harrison slapped a one-hopper back to mound for the final out of the Badgers' season.

Mobile's Scott Mitchell (7-4) scattered 10 hits and four walks with a strikeout over 6.1 innings while Clapper went 3.1 innings with 10 hits, two walks and two strikeouts.  Turner collected the save in 2.2 innings of work with three hits, two walks and a strikeout.

Offensively, Cherta, Hall and Andy McCall led the charge for SHC with three hits and an RBI each and Ryan Cummings added two hits.  For Mobile, Sheffield enjoyed a 4-for-5 day with three RBI and Romero and Mitchell tallied three hits each.

Mobile (34-22) will face the loser of tonight's LSU-Shreveport/Belhaven game on Monday at 3:30 p.m. game while Spring Hill ends its season with a record of 27-28.