MARTIN, Tenn. – The University of Tennessee at Martin softball program claimed its first Ohio Valley Conference series of the season after winning the rubber match against new league foe Western Illinois on Monday morning by a 10-2 margin in six innings.
The Skyhawks (14-9, 2-1 OVC) posted their second mercy-rule victory of the three-game series behind an offensive onslaught against the Leathernecks. UT Martin tallied 11 hits in the win – including multi-hit efforts from Kaci Fuller and the OVC Player of the Week tandem of Katie Dreiling (Pitcher of the Week) and Anna Hazlewood (Player of the Week).
Two of the biggest hits of the game came off the bat of Hazlewood who continued her hot week of performances by launching a pair of two-run home runs. She wasn’t the only player to lean on the longball as Dreiling ended the game with a solo shot in the sixth inning.
Three pitchers toed the rubber for the Skyhawks with Dreiling getting the start and last 3.1 innings before exiting with a no-decision. Kiersten Nixon (1-2) picked up her first win of the season as she tossed two no-hit and shutout innings against the Leathernecks. Closing out the game was Hazlewood who pitched the final two outs of the sixth inning before the game ended in the bottom half of the frame.
Western Illinois (10-12, 1-2 OVC) scored the game’s first run as Maria Luna stroked a solo home run to left center field in the top of the second inning before the Skyhawks responded in the bottom half of the inning with a two-run home run by Hazlewood down the left field line to give the home squad a 2-1 advantage.
The Skyhawks added to their margin in the third inning when a leadoff error put Fuller on base and later into scoring position on a single by Avry Blume. Alli Robinson then put down a sacrifice bunt to move the pair into scoring position, but Fuller took it a step further and scored from second on the sacrifice attempt. Then the following play saw Dreiling drive in a run with a sacrifice fly to put the lead out to three runs.
While a wild pitch allowed the Leathernecks to score another run in the fourth inning, it would be the final run of the day for the visitors. With the score at 4-2, the Skyhawks added a run in the fourth inning off an RBI-groundout from Kyla Harley before a big fifth inning saw the squad add four more runs courtesy of a two-run opposite field home run by Hazlewood and a two-run single by Fuller to break the game wide open.
Heading into the bottom of the sixth, the Skyhawks needed just one run to end the contest early and they found just that as Dreiling turned on the third pitch of the inning and sailed it over the right field wall to bring the score to 10-2.
UT Martin hits the road this weekend when traveling to Eastern Illinois for a three-game series beginning on Saturday, March 16 before wrapping up on Sunday.
