PINEVILLE, La. – The Louisiana Christian University baseball team cruised in game one of Friday's doubleheader against the University of Mobile, 11-3, to claim the series win over the Rams, but hopes of a four-game sweep were dashed in a 3-0 loss in the nightcap at Billy Allgood Field.
 
Game 1 – Louisiana Christian 11, Mobile (Ala.) 3
 
Mobile (1-3) jumped on starting pitcher Jacob Bareswill early, leading off the game with a single, then getting a one-out, RBI double to take the lead which was followed by a two-run home run to make it 3-0 Rams. Bareswell started to settle in, got out of the first with no more damage done, and his teammates started chipping into the deficit.
 
Louisiana Christian (5-1) started the game one comeback in the bottom of the first as Braden Trull found a pitch he liked and took it over the left-center field wall for a two-out, solo home run to make it 3-1 Rams.
 
The Wildcat bats really came alive in the second inning. With one out, Brady Huffman started the rally with a base hit to right-center field. Gavin Vordick and Caleb Brown both drew walks behind him to load the bases, and Jake Messina got LCU back even with a double down the left field line which scored both Vordick and Huffman and chased the Mobile starting pitcher from the contest.
 
Now with two outs, Sterling Sims put the Wildcats ahead as he shot a base hit back up the middle, scoring Brown and pinch runner Luke Morgan and giving Louisiana Christian a 5-3 lead.
 
The Wildcat defense helped keep it a two-run lead in the top of the third inning, throwing out a Ram runner who was trying to score all the way from first on a double to the right-center gap to end the inning.
 
LCU blew the game open in the fourth. With one out, Brown started the rally with a double to the left-center gap. Messina drew a walk, and then Braden McLin just wanted to move both runners up with a sacrifice bunt, but was able to reach as the throw from the pitcher pulled the first baseman off the bag, loading the bases.
 
Sims made it hurt as he dropped a base hit into center field which brought both Brown and the pinch runner Morgan home.
 
Now with two outs, Chris Kelley sent a base hit through the left side of the infield, scoring Sims. Huffman then went through the right side, bringing in Trull to give LCU a 10-3 lead after four complete.
 
LCU added one more in the fifth. Messina started the inning with a base hit to right-center. Morgan, once again running for Messina, moved to second on a pinch hit base hit by Ian Erbe and came home on the RBI single to left-center by Sims, scoring the game's final run.
 
Sims had a monster game at the plate for LCU in game one, going three-for-four and knocked in five runs while scoring once himself.
 
Messina got hits in both of his official at bats, one being a double and knocking in a pair of runs. He also drew a walk. Morgan scored three times while serving as the catcher's courtesy runner for Messina and even picked up a pinch hit base hit in the sixth inning, going one-for-one at the plate.
 
Trull's first inning home run was his second of the season. He went two-for-four at the plate in game one with two RBI and two runs scored, including the homer.
 
Huffman was two-for-three with a RBI and a run scored.
 
Bareswill (1-0) picked up the win, utilizing his pitch count. He went 2.2 innings and gave up five hits, three runs, all earned, with two strikeouts and no walks.
 
Owen Simoneaux went 3.1 innings and gave up just one hit and no runs with four strikeouts and one walk.
 
Aedan Thibodeaux threw the final inning, not allowing a run or a hit while walking one and striking out one.
 
Game 2 – Mobile (Ala.) 3, Louisiana Christian 0
 
The offense of game one by Louisiana Christian didn't translate over into the nightcap while the Rams got a pair of big two-out hits to keep LCU from securing the series sweep.
 
Mobile again took the early lead, scoring in the first inning on a RBI single to right field with two outs to go up 1-0.
 
The Wildcats had three good opportunities to tie the score or take the lead, getting runners in scoring position in the first and second innings, but the best opportunity came in the sixth inning as Trull banged a double off the center field wall with one out. Pinch runner Zephaniah Singleton moved to third on a deep fly ball to center by Kelley, but he would be left there as Harrison Waxley's deep fly ball to left died on the warning track and was caught to retire the side.
 
With the bases loaded in the top of the seventh and the Wildcats one strike away from getting out of the jam and keeping it a one-run game heading to the bottom half of the last inning, a hit deep down the third base line was kept in the infield, but the rushed play could not be made and two runs came home on the hit and error, giving the Rams a 3-0 lead. LCU had no response in the bottom half as Mobile avoided being swept.
 
Trull and Brown both had doubles in game two while Sims and Morgan had the team's only other hits in the contest.
 
McLin (0-1) picked up the hard-luck loss as he threw the first four innings and gave up three hits and one run, which was earned. He walked one and didn't have any strikeouts.
 
Seth Whitney threw two innings, giving up two hits and one run, which was earned, walked two and struck out one.
 
Bryce O'Quinn closed out the contest by getting the last three outs, giving up a hit and a run, which was unearned, walked one and struck out one.
 
The Wildcats wrap up their season opening homestand on Thursday as Columbia International comes to Pineville for a pair of games. First pitch of Thursday's doubleheader against the Rams of CIU (0-7) is set for 1 p.m. at Billy Allgood Field.