MARTIN, Tenn. – The University of Tennessee at Martin softball team kicked off Ohio Valley Conference action by splitting the first day of the three-game series against new league rival Western Illinois with an 8-0 shutout before narrowly falling 2-1 in the second half of the doubleheader.
The Skyhawks (13-9, 1-1 OVC) outhit the Leathernecks by a 12-8 margin in the twinbill while Alli Robinson paced the team with a three-hit afternoon. While also excelling in the pitching circle, the senior tandem of Katie Dreiling and Anna Hazlewood also had big days at the plate as Dreiling tallied a pair of base knocks while Hazlewood launched her second home run of the season and drove in five runs on the day.
In the circle, Dreiling picked up her fifth win of the season after allowing just one hit and striking out five batters in six shutout innings. Then in Game 2, Brooklynn Linneman was hit with the loss after allowing two runs in 3.1 innings of work before Hazlewood appeared in relief and kept the Leathernecks off the board in the final 3.2 frames.
Game 21: UT Martin 8, Western Illinois 0 (Six innings)
UT Martin got on the board early with a run in the second inning off a RBI groundout by Kyrsten Brown before the squad blew the game open in the fourth inning with six runs. The fourth saw the Skyhawks tally five hits – including RBIs from Kaci Fuller and Maddi Long – before Hazlewood put the game on ice with a three-run home run to left field.
Needing just one more run to end the game in the sixth inning, the Skyhawks benefited from four walks as the Leathernecks loaded the bases before the fourth free pass of the inning brought home the finishing eighth run of the game.
Game 22: Western Illinois 2, UT Martin 1
The second game of the day saw Western Illinois jump out to an early advantage. Bella Alvarez played a big role in the game as she opened up the contest’s scoring with a single up the middle in the first inning before stroking a solo home run to left center to give the Leathernecks a 2-0 advantage.
After the home run, the Skyhawks cut their deficit in half in the fourth inning as a single to right field by Robinson led off the inning before she came home to score two batters later on a RBI-double by Hazlewood. Unfortunately, the one run would be all the offense mustered in the second game as the Skyhawks fell by a one-score margin.
The two teams will meet on Monday, March 11 to complete the three-game series with the rubber match slated for 11 a.m.
