COLUMBIA, S.C.— The Montreat baseball team closed out its trip to South Carolina with the Saturday doubleheader of its Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) series with the Columbia International University Rams this afternoon. Though the Cavaliers dropped the series with a 5-3 loss, they took a high-scoring first contest 14-11, moving to 20-18-1 (10-10 AAC) on the 2024 season.
 
Offense prevailed in game number one as both sides put up double-digit run totals. Montreat initially surged ahead 4-0 thanks to a pair of errors and RBI hits from Elijah Stifter and Mitch Ball before the Rams got on the board in the second. A sacrifice fly restored the Cavs' 4-run lead in the third as the visitors went up 5-1 through three frames.
 
Starting with the top of the fourth, 10 consecutive half innings featured runs as the teams traded blows. Montreat, who scored in each of its first eight trips to the plate, capitalized on CIU (14-25, 8-13 AAC) miscues in the middle of the matchup. The Cavaliers crossed a trio of runs on mistakes followed by a sacrifice fly in the sixth that made it 9-4 in favor of the Cavs.
 
From there, the longball took over. Despite a 4-spot from the Rams that trimmed the gap to 9-8, Tommy Ramos and Ball launched 3-run and 2-run bombs, respectively, that sealed the high-scoring contest for Montreat.
 
Ramos and Ball both led the Cavalier offense with 3-for-5 showings at the plate and a trio of RBIs each. Ball and Zeb Marquis scored three times apiece, while Manny Moore and Stifter crossed home twice. Marquis (2-6), Stifter (2-4) and Jaider Morelos (2-6) joined the players with multiple hits in the opening competition. Ryan Henrickson picked up his first save of the season with six strikeouts over his 2 2/3 innings on the mound.
 
Ball blasted a solo shot, his 12^th of the year, to open the scoring in the top of the first of the second matchup; however, the hosts answered with a pair of 2-run innings to lead 4-1 through two. Facing a deficit, the Cavaliers plated two more of their own thanks to Ball's 2-RBI double in the top of the third.
 
Six scoreless half innings came to an end when the Rams tallied an insurance run in the sixth, closing out the scoring in the 5-3 defeat.
 
Ball (2-3) was the lone Cavalier with multiple hits and the only visitor with an RBI (3). Elian Cuevas struck out nine, surrendering two earned runs over his five innings on the mound, while Tyler Best pitched a hitless relief inning.
 
Baseball now travels to Waleska, Ga. for a non-conference affair at Reinhardt University on Tuesday. First pitch is scheduled for 4 p.m.