MARTIN, Tenn. – A big three-hit game by sophomore infielder Dylan Scott keyed a comeback victory for the University of Tennessee at Martin softball team, knocking off Ohio Valley Conference foe Southern Indiana in the first game of today’s doubleheader by a final score of 6-5. Then in the weekend finale, USI claimed the series finale with a 3-1 victory.
The Skyhawks (21-17, 7-8 OVC) battled throughout the weekend as they faced a sizable first inning deficit in Game 2 before rattling off six unanswered runs down the stretch to secure their only win of the series. With the series all knotted up at one game apiece, the Screaming Eagles turned to their ace once again and pitched their way to a series victory to remain in second place in the league standings.
After an injury opened the door for Scott to make her first start in over a month, the sophomore made the most of her opportunity as she went 3-for-3 in Game 2 of the series while driving in three RBIs and scoring a pair of runs. Her two-run double in the fourth inning set up a big scoring frame before her RBI-single through the left side in the sixth inning tied the game.
While the surprise performance of the day came from Scott, senior outfielder Kaci Fuller continued her legendary career by tallying three hits on the day. With her three base knocks, she boosted her career hit total to 232 which ranks third in program history and sits just five hits behind the school’s all-time record of 238 held by Jenny Bain. Meanwhile, fellow senior Anna Hazlewood also posted a multi-hit afternoon with singles in both contests.
On the pitching side, four different players got in the action for the home squad as Kiersten Nixon picked up her fourth win of the season in the opener of the twinbill after tossing a pair of shutout innings – while striking out five batters on the day. Sophomore Ashtyn Green also had a nice day in relief, allowing no earned runs in 4.1 innings in the series finale.
Southern Indiana (16-14, 10-5 OVC) relied on standout pitcher Josie Newman to pitch the team to another victory as she followed up her dominant performance on Friday with another 14-strikeout afternoon in the series finale. Offensively, Sammie Kihega came through with a clutch grand slam to highlight the first game of the day while Leix Fair broke the game open with a pair of RBIs in the finale.
UT Martin will hit the road for its next four contests with matchups in the Volunteer State, beginning with a midweek matchup at former OVC rival Austin Peay on Wednesday, Apr. 10.
