ST. CHARLES, Mo. – The University of Tennessee at Martin softball team went on the road and picked up a doubleheader split against Ohio Valley Conference foe Lindenwood on the opening day of the three-game series.
The Skyhawks (27-20, 12-11 OVC) dropped the series opener in a tough 2-0 decision before picking up their first Game 2 win of the season by leading from start to finish to even up the series with a 4-2 victory.
UT Martin tallied 15 hits on the day – including 12 in the second half of the doubleheader. Four players had multiple base knocks – including a pair of four-hit days from the tandem of Avry Blume and Katie Dreiling as they registered three knocks each in Game 2.
Senior pitcher Brooklynn Linneman earned her eighth win of the season after tossing six innings and allowing zero earned runs in the afternoon affair. While Dreiling earned the tough loss in the series opener, both Kiersten Nixon and Ashtyn Green were lights out in the bullpen with 3.1 combined scoreless innings.
Game 46: Lindenwood 2, UT Martin 0
Lindenwood relied on its starting pitcher Amanda Weyh who improved to 15-7 with the shutout victory. Weyh began the game with four consecutive strikeouts before she ended the afternoon with eight total punch outs.
Neither team found the scoring column until the fourth inning when Lindenwood jammed the whole game’s offensive output into a single frame. While Weyh kept the Skyhawks at bay in the circle, she ultimately played a part in both of the team’s run as she was the backend of a successful double-steal of second and home before later coming home to score via an RBI single from Tori Hatton to give the Lions a 2-0 advantage.
Game 47: UT Martin 4, Lindenwood 2
After being held scoreless in the first game of the series, UT Martin wasted very little time jumping out to an early lead as Kennedy Brown stroked a triple to right center before coming around to score two batters later on an opposite field double by Dreiling to take a 1-0 lead.
The Skyhawks added another run in the top of the second when three singles in the inning set up a bases loaded opportunity for Kaci Fuller who cashed in the chance with a sacrifice fly to left field to drive in a run.
The fourth inning saw the Skyhawks find the scoreboard again as a leadoff double by Blume kicked off the frame before scampering home on the following at-bat via a single up the middle from Anna Hazlewood to push the team’s advantage out to three runs.
Lindenwood began to fight back in the bottom of the sixth inning as an error saw the inning unravel for the Skyhawk defense. A pair of leadoff singles spelled trouble for the visitors before a fielding error on a sacrifice bunt allowed the Lions first run to score. Then later in the frame, the home squad cut the margin down to one run via a sacrifice fly by Weyh to make it a 3-2 contest.
UT Martin went looking for a little insurance in the top of the seventh inning and found it after Fuller led off the frame with a triple to center field. Needing to just put something in play to score the speedster, the Skyhawks got just that as Brown used an infield groundout to bring Fuller home and give the squad some two-run breathing room.
Green entered to pitch in the bottom of the seventh and allowed two hits before settling down and stranding both runners on base to secure her second save of the season.
The two programs will play the rubber match of the series on Sunday afternoon with first pitch from the Lou Brock Complex scheduled for 1 p.m.
