EVANSVILLE, Ind.– The University of Tennessee at Martin baseball team rode stellar pitching and an early lead to its 5-2 rubber match win over Southern Indiana.
Jeb Bartle (2-3) picked up the win after going six innings with no earned runs allowed on only two hits. The sophomore righty fanned four batters before giving way to Tucker Reed, who snagged his third save in league play after not conceding an earned run over the final three frames.
Mac Danford led the Skyhawk offense out of the designated hitter spot, going 3-for-4 along with a home run, a double and a pair of RBI’s. Jalen Fithian and Will Smith each bashed homers while the left side of the infield of third baseman Jonah Wichman (2-for-4) and shortstop Alec Beaman (RBI) added production for UT Martin (15-24, 7-8 Ohio Valley Conference).
Bartle sat down the side in order in the bottom of the first before the Screaming Eagles (16-24, 6-9 OVC) pushed across an unearned run in the next frame.
The Skyhawks leveled the playing field in the top of the third when Fithian launched his third blast of the season to make it a 1-1 ballgame. Nine pitches would be enough for Bartle to work his second 1-2-3 frame of the game and keep the contest tied through three innings.
UT Martin would take the lead in the fourth after a Danford double scored Blaze Bell, who reached on a single. Wichman made it three hits in a row for the Orange and Blue which led to a sacrifice bunt from Beaman that plated Danford and extended the Skyhawk lead out to 3-1.
Bartle landed two more perfect back-to-back innings, stifling Southern Indiana in both the fourth and fifth frames.
Smith started the top of the sixth by sending a 2-2 pitch over the wall, making the score 4-1 in favor of UT Martin.
In his final inning of work, Bartle stranded a pair of runners to depart the game in line for the victory. A pair of Skyhawk errors resulted in two unearned Screaming Eagle runs in the bottom of the seventh. Trailing by one run, Southern Indiana had back-to-back hits to begin the eighth but Reed buckled down with a strikeout and inning-ending double play to keep UT Martin on top, 4-3.
Danford made it two leadoff homers for his squad after he ambushed the first pitch of the bottom of the ninth for a solo jack. The long ball was the team-high ninth round-tripper for the Grand Ridge, Fla. native.
Reed induced another double play in the ninth to stall any potential momentum in the home dugout.
The Skyhawks will be back on the road for a midweek matchup with No. 13 Vanderbilt on Tuesday, April 23 at 6 p.m. The game will be streamed live on SEC Network+.
