MARTIN, Tenn.– With 17 hits and 14 runs, the University of Tennessee at Martin baseball team picked up its first Ohio Valley Conference win of the season in Game 2 of its road series against Western Illinois.
All nine starters recorded hits with seven achieving multi-hit games. Mac Danford (3-for-5, three RBI’s) homered for the second consecutive game while Jackson Cooke (two runs scored) mashed his first long ball of the campaign. Hunter McLean paced the Skyhawks (8-15, 1-1 OVC) with a season-high four RBI’s and Will Smith crossed home plate three times on his way to a two-hit day.
Cole Smith (2-for-4 with two walks) while Andrew Fernandez (2-for-5, RBI), Zac Rice (two runs scored), Blaze Bell (2-for-5, one run scored) and Jalen Fithian (2-for-4 with a walk and two runs scored) also had big days for the offense.
Eric Steensma (2-2) contained the Leathernecks (5-15, 1-1 OVC) to just two runs and struck out four batters over 6.2 innings of work. Baylor Jones was terrific in 1.1 scoreless innings pitched, allowing no hits, only one walk and fanning two. Brock Arender entered in the ninth and closed out the win.
Steensma started the game stranding two and striking out three in the first two innings. The UT Martin hit parade then began in the top of the third with a Will Smith single that was shortly followed by Danford’s team-best fifth home run of the year. McLean then plugged the gap in left center for a two-run double and extend the lead to 4-0.
McLean would come through yet again in the fifth with a two-run single into left center to stretch the Skyhawk advantage to 6-0.
Meanwhile, Steensma was still dealing – keeping the Western Illinois offense scoreless through six innings of work. The redshirt senior righty seemed to get stronger as the game wore on, retiring the side in order on just 10 pitches in a perfect sixth frame.
The Leathernecks were able to get two runs in the bottom of the seventh before Baylor Jones got the final out, stranding a pair of baserunners.
Five more hits followed for UT Martin in the eighth, putting three more runs on the scoreboard. Will Smith (two-run double) and Danford (sacrifice fly) both drove in runs to make the score 9-2.
After Jones whiffed a pair of batters in a scoreless bottom of the eighth, the Skyhawks tacked on five more runs in their final at-bat. Cooke led things off with a solo homer before a Fernandez sacrifice fly and three unearned runs crossed the plate.
Arender put the finishing touches on the game getting a line out, fielders’ choice and a ground out in the bottom of the ninth.
UT Martin will go for the series win tomorrow at 1 p.m.
