MOBILE, Ala.— The Montreat baseball team opened its 2023 season on Friday with a non-conference doubleheader against the University of Mobile Rams. Despite a few strong individual performances, the Cavaliers couldn't overcome the Rams as the visitors fell in both games, 4-2 and 8-3. With the defeats, the Cavs started the year with an 0-2 record.
 
After a scoreless initial inning, Montreat struck first in game one thanks to a pair of base knocks and a pair of free passes. Tarik Latchmansingh and Stephen Karis began the top half of the second inning with singles before an AJ Barrios walk loaded the bases. With the bags juiced, Cleveland, Ohio native Necumba Booker Jr. worked the count and drew a walk to put the Cavs ahead, 1-0.
 
Cavalier starter Case Jaworski had little trouble punching out Mobile hitters early, racking up his first eight outs via the strikeout. In his five innings of work, 14 of Jaworski's 15 outs came via strikeout.
 
Extra-base hits powered the home side's offense to a pair of runs in the fourth inning. The Rams tallied an inside-the-park home run, a triple and a double to move in front of the Cavs, 2-1, with just three innings to play; however, it didn't take Montreat long to tie the game at two as the visitors responded the following half-inning. Caleb Abshier delivered a one-out double to left center, and Jaider Morelos smacked a single in Montreat's next at-bat to bring Abshier home.
 
Mobile (3-0) capitalized on a few Cavalier throwing errors in the bottom of the fifth to retake the lead for good in game one. Between two errors and two hits, the Rams tacked on two runs and seized a 4-2 lead. The hosts ended game one with six hits, five of which went for extra bases.
 
The Cavaliers had a chance to erase their deficit late, but they left the bases loaded in the sixth before being sent down in order in the seventh inning. As a result, the Rams claimed the initial contest of the doubleheader, 4-2.
 
Abshier, Morelos, Latchmansingh and Karis each tallied a hit in the defeat, while Morelos and Booker Jr. registered an RBI. Barrios and Booker Jr. recorded a pair of walks, and Caden Wright pitched a scoreless inning of relief with one strikeout.
 
Mobile controlled the second game of Friday's doubleheader by jumping out to an early 6-0 lead. An error and two singles saw the Rams strike in the bottom of the first inning, and a series of walks and a hit-by-pitch help set up a 5-run second frame. Mobile also utilized a bloop single in the fourth and an error in the fifth to expand its lead out to 8-0 late in the ballgame.
 
Morelos crushed the first longball of Montreat's season in the top of the sixth to get the Cavs on the board. A native of Cartagena, Columbia, Morelos pulled a ball over the right field fence for the first home run of his Cavalier career. Then, in the seventh inning, Morelos slapped a single into left field, driving in two more runs in the process. Unfortunately for Montreat, the deficit was too large to overcome. Mobile notched an 8-3 victory in game two and secured a doubleheader sweep over the visitors.
 
"Overall, it was a tough day, but the positives far outweigh the negatives," said head coach Jason Beck, who managed his 25^th opening day as a college head coach on Friday. "A lot of younger guys got to experience their first college games, which will hopefully pay off later. Our pitching, for the most part, kept us in both games minus one inning, so I was happy with the way our guys battled today."
 
Tyler Best pitched 3.1 innings of relief in game two, surrendering one earned run while striking out a batter. At the plate, six Cavaliers tallied a hit, but Morelos was the lone Cav to register multiple knocks along with his three RBIs.
 
The Montreat baseball team continues its season-opening weekend of action with another doubleheader tomorrow against the Rams. First pitched is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. in Mobile, Ala.