FORTH WORTH, Texas – The University of Arkansas at Monticello baseball team suffered two losses on its opening day at the hands of Texas Wesleyan by scores of 8-0 and 5-4 on Tuesday.

Texas Welseyan (2-0) began its season ranked No. 17 in the pre-season NAIA Top 25 Poll after finishing its 2008 season ranked No. 25.
 
In the first game, the Rams held the Weevils (0-2) scoreless and only allowed four hits, while using a six-run fifth inning and a two-run sixth inning to earn the victory.
 
In the fifth inning, TWU third baseman Kyle Frasard led off the inning with a walk, followed by six consecutive base hits, capped off by a two-run home run from Blake Walker.
 
Two of the four UAM hits came from back-to-back single in the top of the fourth inning, started by junior catcher Blaine Ivey (Baton Rouge, La.) to center field, followed by an infield single from junior Richard Atwood (Vancleave, Miss.). The other two hits came from the bats of junior right fielder Drew Harper (Meridian, Miss.) in the third inning and junior Matthew Lewis (Amory, Miss.) in the fifth inning.
 
Junior left-hander Brandon Miller (El Dorado, Ark.) was saddled with the loss after pitching the first four innings, allowing five hits and four runs (all earned). He also walked two batters and recorded two strikeouts.
 
In the second game, the Weevils fought back to tie the game at 4-all going into the bottom of the seventh inning, but the Rams won the game with an RBI-single from Blake Walker, plating Nick Schrock, who singled to centerfield and stole second earlier in the inning.
 
The first Weevil run of the season is credited to junior Brian Johnson (Roanoke, Va.), who smashed a homerun to right field in the top of the fourth inning to trim the Rams lead to 2-1.
 
In the top of the seventh, the Weevils scored three runs (two unearned) starting with Atwood scoring on an RBI-single from sophomore Michael Diffie (El Dorado, Ark.). The two other runs scored when Harper reached on an error by TWU third baseman Kyle Frasard, plating junior Tyler Henry (Pass Christian, Miss.) and Diffie’s pinch runner Wayne Hawkins (Memphis, Tenn.)
 
Henry was the only Weevil with more than one hit, going 2-for-3 in the game.
 
Sophomore Brett Steward (Pine Bluff, Ark.) was saddled with loss after allowing the winning run in the seventh inning. He threw 3.1 innings, allowed three hits, the game-winning run, walked only one and struck out three batters.
 
The Weevils look to record their first win of the season this weekend, when the team host Central Oklahoma for a three-game home-stand starting Saturday, February 7 at 1 p.m.