MARTIN, Tenn.– The University of Tennessee at Martin baseball team capitalized on a crystal-clear sunny afternoon for a 12-2 victory in seven innings of the series opener against Brown. The Skyhawks outhit the Bears 12 to 5 and held the visitors scoreless for six of the seven innings played.
Will Smith and Blaze Bell went a perfect 4-for-4 at the plate in the offensive onslaught for UT Martin (2-3). Bell recorded three RBI’s while Smith doubled and crossed home plate on three separate occasions.
Starting pitcher Tristan Walton (1-1) was on top of his game, going six innings with six punchouts with only one earned run allowed. Sophomore right-hander Kaleb Baskin pitched the seventh and made quick work of the Bears to secure the Game 1 win for the Skyhawks.
UT Martin took the lead in the second inning and wouldn’t relinquish it. Three runs went up on the scoreboard courtesy of a Bell RBI single to score Will Smith. Mac Danford then scored on a fielder’s choice before Bell swiped home on a double steal to cap off the home half.
The run support continued to pour in when Danford and Bell singled home a pair of runs in the third, padding the Skyhawk lead to 5-0.
Walton was only met with trouble in the fourth inning but he was able to get out of with an inning-ending 4-6-3 double play. The UT Martin bats quickly answered with two runs in the bottom half of the frame thanks to a Will Smith single that plated Jalen Fithian. Andrew Fernandez scored later in the inning to make the lead 7-2 for the Orange and Blue.
With a runner on third base in the top of the fifth, Walton answered the pressure by striking out three straight batters to put himself in line for the win. Cameron Brady would line an RBI single up the middle in the bottom half of the inning and later scored on a throwing error.
Walton recorded his third three-up, three-down inning in the sixth, capping off his successful second start of the season. RBI doubles from Will Smith and Cole Smith – along with a Bell run-scoring single – landed a 10-run advantage for the Skyhawks going into the top of the seventh.
That was plenty of support for Baskin, who did not allow a hit in his second appearance out of the bullpen in 2024.
UT Martin will look to clinch the series tomorrow as Game 2 is set for 1 p.m. at Skyhawk Field.
