NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The University of Tennessee at Martin softball team capped off its appearance in the Roar City Classic with a pair of setbacks on Sunday afternoon, falling just short against Western Michigan by a final score of 3-2 before dropping the finale to Indiana State in a 10-1 matchup.
The Skyhawks (2-5) battled the elements all weekend, first with rain and freezing temperatures on Friday and before completely canceling Day 2 of the tournament. With their stay in the Roar City Classic extended a day, UT Martin battled through chilly temperatures once again, but ultimately couldn’t find the winning ingredients on Day 3.
A pair of Skyhawks tallied multiple hits on the day as newcomers Alli Robinson and Kyla Harley both recorded a pair of base knocks for the squad. The trio of Kaci Fuller, Dylan Scott and Annie Gutierrez notched RBIs on the afternoon while Fuller also drew a pair of walks to reach base three times.
Sophomore Ashtyn Green impressed as she tossed 2.2 scoreless innings of relief while senior Katie Dreiling was given a tough loss after allowing one run over 4.1 innings of action.
Game 6: Western Michigan 3, UT Martin 2
UT Martin jumped out to an early lead against Western Michigan, scoring two runs in the bottom of the second inning. The Skyhawks loaded the bases after an error, walk and bunt single started off the bottom half of the inning. With a prime scoring opportunity at hand, Gutierrez got the game’s scoring started with a single up the middle to score Carly Ward. Then the squad punched another run in as Scott recorded her first RBI as a Skyhawk later in the inning.
Western Michigan got on the board in the top of the fourth when a single by Brendtke cut the Skyhawks advantage in half. The score remained the same until the top of the sixth when the Broncos took their first lead of the game when a throwing error brought in the tying run and a wild pitch ultimately gave WMU a 3-2 lead.
The Skyhawks would have a chance to at least tie the game in the bottom of the seventh after Robinson led off the frame with a double and advanced to third on a wild pitch. Unfortunately, the Skyhawks could not push across the game-tying run as the contest ended on back-to-back strikeouts.
Game 7: Indiana State 10, UT Martin 1 (Five innings)
The second game of the day proved to be a tough matchup for the Skyhawks. Indiana State jumped on the pitching staff with five runs on six hits in the first inning and never looked back. The Sycamores added another lopsided inning in the second frame as the squad pushed their margin out to a 10-0 cushion.
The Skyhawks did get on the board in the third inning off a RBI-single from Fuller, but the margin would be too much for the squad as they dropped the contest in five innings.
UT Martin will make its long-anticipated home debut on Wednesday, Feb. 21 when playing host to Brescia at Bettye Giles Field. Doubleheader action is slated to get underway at 1 p.m.
