TALLAHASSEE, Fla.– The University of Tennessee at Martin baseball team used an extra innings comeback in Game 1 (8-7) and its first shutout of the season in Game 2 (8-0) to sweep the doubleheader over Florida A&M.
Game 1: UTM 8, FAMU 7 (Nine innings)
UT Martin (2-1) would jump out to an early advantage in the first inning via a Jordan Hudson single to score Jalen Fithian which was shortly followed by a Brody Capps RBI single to score Hudson. Arderrius Townsend would cap off the first inning with an RBI single to score Capps after a throwing error.
Fithian was able to reach on a fielder’s choice which scored Tommy Koch in the second inning and later Townsend drove home another run in the third, this time from a sacrifice bunt to bring in TJ Grines. The lead would be 5-0 going into the fourth.
Jacob Sitton impressed in his Skyhawk debut going five innings and striking out eight while allowing just one hit. Following the departure of Sitton, Florida A&M (1-2) tacked on six runs in the sixth which brought UT Martin down to its final three outs heading into the top of the seventh.
The Skyhawks brought in the tying run after Blaze Bell reached on a fielder’s choice to score Fithian. Mason Shropshire (1-0) made his UT Martin debut out of the bullpen with 2.1 innings pitched and two strikeouts including a scoreless seventh frame to bring the game into extra innings.
Freshman Cameron Greene made a statement in his young career by belting a solo shot with one out in the eighth to get the Skyhawks a 7-6 lead. In the home half the Rattlers would respond with a leadoff homer to push the game to the ninth where UT Martin scored Grines on a sacrifice fly from Capps to get the lead back.
Returner Kaleb Baskin (save) faced bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth and slammed the door inducing a flyout to center field to clinch the first win of 2025 for the Skyhawks.
Grines led UT Martin in the game with a 3-4 day at the plate to pair with a double and triple.
Game 2: UTM 8, FAMU 0
The second contest of the day featured a wire-to-wire triumph for the Orange and Blue. Drake Bayles (1-0) earned the start and the win going five innings, surrendering three hits and punching out three. JP Nunn (one inning, two strikeouts) and Austin Gast (one inning, two strikeouts, no hits) helped complete the shutout for the Skyhawks.
Eight different batters recorded a hit with Hudson (one RBI, one stolen base), Greene (double), Capps (two RBI, two hits, one double), Townsend (two RBI), Bell (double), Jonah Katsaboulas (two walks), Tommy Koch (two-run blast) and Garner Anderson (double, RBI, walk) putting together a torrid day at the plate for UT Martin.
Capps continued to have a big performance with an RBI single to get Game 2 going that scored Grines to make it 1-0. In the following inning, Koch would lift off to left field for the second home run of the day to get the lead to 3-0.
Anderson drilled a rocket off the center field wall in the fourth that helped score Katsaboulas. Anderson didn’t have to wait too long to get back to the dugout after Hudson sent a single to right field and scored the Martin, Tenn. native from second. Townsend put the finishing touches on the frame by driving in Capps and Grines with a single to left field that brought the score to 8-0.
The pitching staff handled business the rest of the way and held Florida A&M to just two hits over the final three innings.
The Skyhawks wrap up the series tomorrow in Tallahassee, Fla. at noon.
