MONTEVALLO, Ala. – The No. 7 University of Montevallo baseball team split a doubleheader with Shorter on Saturday.
 
The Falcons earned a 10-4 win in game one of the day but dropped the final game of the series 4-3. With the twin bill split, Montevallo moves to 17-4 on the year and is 7-2 in Gulf South Conference action.
 
GAME ONE

Much like game one of the series, UM's bats were hot in the first game of the doubleheader as the squad plated 10 runs on nine hits. Reed Latimer and Zen Hiatt each blasted solo homers.
 
Scoring opened for the Falcons in the bottom of the first inning after UM walked six times consecutively. Asa Awbrey and Luke Mitchell each earned an RBI in the sequence with back-to-back bases loaded walks.
 
In the bottom of the second Ben Teel delivered an RBI single to score Evan Liddie and push the Falcons lead to 3-0.
 
The Falcons' pitching staff continued to hold the Hawks scoreless in the third and fourth frames before the bats let loose in the bottom of the fourth. An RBI single from Sam Kuchinski pushed across Liddie, then Reed Latimer blasted a homer to left field to make it a 6-0 game. Mitchell capped the inning with a single through the left side, scoring Awbrey, to give UM a 7-0 advantage.
 
In the top of the fifth, Shorter found some life and plated a pair of runs on a sacrifice fly and an RBI single. UM answered the Hawks in the bottom half of the inning, beginning with a solo home run to right center off the batt of Zen Hiatt. Back-to-back RBI doubles for Teel and Kuchinski put the Falcons on top 10-2.

With Montevallo on top 10-4, Connor Phelan inherited a bases-loaded situation in the top of the eighth and retired three-straight batters to keep the Falcons in front by six.
 
Phelan returned to the mound in the top of the ninth and sat down the Hawks, in order, to earn the save and preserve the 10-4 win.
 

GAME ONE INFORMATION
Score: Montevallo 10  | Shorter  4
Records: No. 7 Montevallo 17-3 (7-1)| Shorter 10-11 (5-6)
Location: Kermit A. Johnson Field at Bob Riesener Stadium
 
GAME NOTES
 

• Ben Teel led UM from the plate as he finished 2-for-3 with a pair of RBI. He also walked twice and scored two runs.
• Montevallo scored 10 runs on nine hits. Shorter added four runs on seven hits.
• Evan Liddie joined Teel in finishing 2-for-3 from the plate on the day as he walked once and scored a team-high three runs.
• Zach Toth earned the win from the bullpen as he faced five batters and allowed just one hit and a walk. He is now 4-1 on the year.
• Connor Phelan earned his second save of the year as he pitched two innings to close out the win and struck out two batters.

GAME TWO
 
Montevallo jumped in front of Shorter early in the second game following a pair of bunts in the bottom of the second. Mitchell opened the frame with a lead-off single before a bunt from Jake Smallwood pushed Mitchell over to second and an error by Shorter's pitcher put the freshman at third. In the next at-bat, Evan Liddie laid down a sacrifice bunt to score Mitchell.
 
Pitchers for both sides held the game scoreless until the bottom of the fourth when Asa Awbrey jacked his seventh homer of the year. Mitchell scored again on a sacrifice bunt, this time from Matt Simon, to push the lead to 3-0.
 
Shorter found success in the plate in the top of the fifth as the squad plated for runs, all unearned, due in part to a pair of Falcon errors.
UM was held scoreless in the final two frames, dropping game three of the series 4-3.
 
GAME TWO INFORMATION
Score: Montevallo 4  | Shorter  3
Records: No. 7 Montevallo 17-4 (7-2)| Shorter 11-11 (6-6)
Location: Kermit A. Johnson Field at Bob Riesener Stadium
 
GAME NOTES
 

• Luke Mitchell was the biggest bright spot for the Falcons as he finished 2-for-2 on the day and scored two of UM's three runs.
• Reed Latimer, Asa Awbrey and Evan Liddie each picked up an RBI in the loss.
• JJ Pease earned the start of the mound and gave up three runs, all unearned, with one hit and one strikeout.

UP NEXT: Montevallo will host Spring Hill in a mid-week matchup on Wednesday, Mar. 15.