MARTIN, Tenn. – After a slow start to the contest, the University of Tennessee at Martin softball team switched it into another gear in the late innings with four runs from the fifth inning on to knock off visiting Ohio Valley Conference rival SIUE and steal the season series against the Cougars with a 4-3 victory.
The Skyhawks (16-13, 4-5 OVC) were held hitless through the first three innings but once the dam broke, the hits came in bunches as the squad recorded eight base knocks in the comeback victory. Senior Anna Blanton paced the team with two hits – including the go-ahead RBI in the sixth inning – to pace the squad.
Joining in the action was newcomer Alli Robinson who made the most of her one hit on the day as she laced a single up the middle to score a pair of runs in the fifth frame. She was joined in the hit column by Kaci Fuller, Katie Dreiling, Anna Hazlewood, Maddi Long and Avry Blume as seven Skyhawks got in the action.
The pitching staff kept the squad in the game while they figured out their offense through the early frames. Hazlewood got the start and pitched three innings – allowing zero earned runs – before being relieved by freshman Lindsay Kline whose only bump came on a solo home run in two innings of work. Wrapping up the game was senior Brooklynn Linneman (5-3) who earned the win after tossing two perfect innings down the stretch.
SIUE (10-20, 2-7 OVC) jumped on the board first with two runs in the first inning. The Cougars led off the game with a walk before Jenna Herron reached on infield single before a defensive miscue on a pickle play allowed both runners to move into scoring position. Following a strikeout by the Skyhawks, the Cougars came through with the hit they needed as Grace Lueke singled up the middle to take a 2-0 advantage.
After starting pitcher Sydney Baalman looked to be cruising through the first four innings, the Cougars made a pitching change to bring in yesterday’s winning pitcher and turn the ball over to Rylie Pindel. The move proved to be costly for the visitors as the Skyhawks jumped on the new pitcher with four hits and three runs in the bottom of the fifth inning. The trio of Blume, Blanton and Fuller each reached base with singles to load the bases before the team’s first run scored on a wild pitch. With the first run on the board, Robinson then brought the other two runners in to score with a single up the middle to take a 3-2 advantage.
Unfortunately, the lead was short-lived for UT Martin as SIUE’s Lauren Yslava rifled the first pitch she saw over the right field wall to tie the game at 3-3 in the top of the sixth.
Despite the gut-punch, UT Martin stayed aggressive and responded with the go-ahead run in the bottom half of the frame. Hazlewood led off the bottom of the sixth with an infield single before pinch-runner Carly Ward entered the game and moved into scoring position with a single from Long. The tandem later moved into scoring position with a well-placed grounder to the right side before Blanton picked up her second hit of the day, lofting a single just past the third basemen to give the Skyhawks a 4-3 lead which they would not relinquish down the stretch.
UT Martin will continue its four-game homestand with a regional matchup against Southern Illinois on Tuesday, March 26. First pitch from Bettye Giles Field is slated for 3 p.m. on ESPN+.
