NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The University of Tennessee at Martin softball team packed its offense in a road trip to Music City as the Skyhawks scored 15 runs en route to a doubleheader split against Ohio Valley Conference rival Tennessee State on Saturday afternoon.
The Skyhawks (18-14, 5-6 OVC) picked up a 7-0 shutout victory in the series opener before falling in walk-off fashion in the night-cap by a final margin of 9-8.
Both teams found their offensive stroke throughout the day as they combined for 40 hits and 24 runs in the doubleheader. Leading the way for the Skyhawks was a Kaci Fuller who went 5-for-8 at the plate with a double and four runs scored while both Avry Blume and Maddi Long also boasted three-hit days along with three RBIs each.
The team’s well-rounded effort saw seven players tally at least two base knocks while the quartet of Blume, Long, Anna Hazlewood and Katie Dreiling each drove in three runs on the afternoon.
UT Martin tossed a shutout in the series opener with Brooklynn Linneman (6-3) tossing five shutout innings while scattering three hits in the start. Dreiling appeared in relief and helped secure the shutout with a pair of scoreless frame to post the team’s eighth shutout of the season. Then in Game 2, five players saw action in the circle before Lindsay Kline (2-2) was hit with the tough loss.
Game 31: UT Martin 7, Tennessee State 0
UT Martin jumped out to an early lead in the series opener by scoring four runs in the opening frame. Three consecutive singles off the bats of Dreiling, Hazlewood and Long brought in the game’s first three runs before a bases loaded walk by Blume gave the Skyhawks an early 4-0 lead.
The score remained the same as both team’s pitching staffs settled into the contest until the Skyhawks officially put the game out of reach in the top of the sixth. A double down the left field line by Alli Robinson gave the Skyhawks a five-run advantage before another double – this time off the bat of Long – scored another pair to bring the score to its final margin of 7-0.
Game 32: Tennessee State 9, UT Martin 8
The second game of the day proved to be a wild one for both teams as the lead changed hands three times in the final two innings. The game started with the Skyhawks jumping out to an early lead as Fuller opened the contest with an infield single before moving to second on a sacrifice bunt, to third on a stolen base and ultimately all the way home on a throwing error.
The visitors pushed their advantage out to three runs in the top of the third inning as Dreiling ripped a two-run double into right field to take a 3-0 lead.
Tennessee State fought back in the bottom half of the inning as back-to-back hits by Onnika Spencer and Mikayla Duke led to three runs to tie the contest at three runs apiece.
The score remained unchanged until the bottom of the sixth when the Lady Tigers broke the tie game with three runs in the frame. A single up the middle notched an RBI for Kyra Taylor before a throwing error allowed a second run to come home on the play. Then a few batters later, TSU pushed its advantage out to three runs off a single by Ryla Traylor.
The Skyhawks entered the top of the seventh needing a three-run rally and found five runs to erase their deficit and push out their own lead heading into the bottom half of the inning. A double by Fuller kicked off the inning before she came home to score on a triple to left center by Kennedy Brown. Then with the Skyhawks down to their final out, they found the game’s equalizer as Hazlewood singled and drove in a pair of runs to tie the game. The rally was not done however as Long singled up the middle before a pair of runs scored on a clutch two-run double by Blume to give the Skyhawks a two-run advantage.
The fireworks continued in the bottom of the seventh as TSU chipped away at its new deficit. Three Skyhawk pitchers saw action in the frame, but none of them could slow down the Lady Tigers as they tallied four hits and scored three runs – including a walk-off two-run single by Anayah Baker-Rowell to escape with the 9-8 victory.
The two teams will go head-to-head for the series victory on Saturday, March 30 with first pitch from Tiger Field slated for 1 p.m.
