MAGNOLIA, Ark. – The No. 3-seed in the South Region University of West Alabama baseball team dropped its opening game of the NCAA Division II South Regional, 14-7, to Florida Southern at Mulerider Field in Magnolia, Ark. UWA falls to 37-15 on the season while FSC improves to 39-14.

Both teams plated homeruns in its first at-bats. Nick Stanley followed a Robbie Shields double to right center with a two-run homer to right field, putting the Mocs on the board first. UWA cut the lead in half in the bottom of the inning, as Rob Dahlberg connected on his 26th career round-tripper to left field.

After a scoreless second inning, Wade Kirkland started a five-run, FSC third inning with a leadoff homer to left field. Colin Kish added another run to the FSC total with a bases loaded single through the right side to score Shields, leaving the bases still full of Mocs. Braxton Chisholm followed with a two-run, double to right center scoring Stanley and Zach Maggard. Trae Gore closed out the scoring on the frame with a sacrifice fly to left field that plated Kish.

The Tigers responded to the five-run top half of the third with a three spot in the bottom of the frame. Jeremy Finney led off the inning with a single back up the middle. Finney later moved to second on a balk by Max Russell. Douglas Frazier became the second base runner after being hit by pitch to set the table for Brian Simone’s three-run homerun, pulling the Red and White within three runs at 7-4. A Finney base hit in the bottom of fourth scored Sam McCormack narrowing the deficit to 7-5 through four full innings.

The Mocs combined for a total of two runs in the fifth and sixth innings with two runs in the fifth and three more in the sixth, capped by a Kish double through the right side scoring Maggard and Stanley and pushing FSC lead to 12-5. UWA began to chip away at the lead with two runs in the bottom of the seventh inning. Kevin Deese notched the first run of the inning with a two-out double down the left field line, scoring Brian Simone. Following a McCormack walk, Bryan Mason singled to score Deese.

The Mocs added two more in the top of the ninth to close out the scoring.

Mike Schmitt (10-3) was saddled with the loss, throwing just 4 1/3 innings, allowing nine runs on 12 hits with five strikeouts and three walks.

West Alabama returns to action on Friday, May 15 as UWA faces Barry at 10:00 a.m. at Mulerider Field. The game will be broadcasted on WZNJ 106.5-FM and at athletics.uwa.edu. Check with Tournament Central at athletics.uwa.edu for live stats and a broadband broadcast of the Tigers game against the Buccaneers.