MARTIN, Tenn.– The University of Tennessee at Martin baseball team used seven runs in the second inning to lead them to a 15-6 rout of in-state Ohio Valley Conference rival Tennessee Tech at Skyhawk Field.
Seven Skyhawks enjoyed multi-hit games as Jalen Fithian (3-for-4, three runs scored), Andrew Fernandez (3-for-5, three RBI’s), Mac Danford (2-for-3, three-run homer, two walks), Blaze Bell (two hits, two RBI’s), Cole Smith (two hits, one RBI), Hunter McLean (2-for-3, solo home run) and Cameron Brady (two hits, one run scored) helped UT Martin outhit the visitors by a 17-8 margin. Zac Rice (run scored, RBI), Will Smith (run scored) and Alec Beaman (RBI) also chipped in as all nine spots in the lineup accounted for at least one run scored.
On the hill, Eric Steensma (3-5) went five innings with just four hits and one walk allowed. Choyce Diffey followed with one inning before Zach Wager (1.1 innings) and Tucker Reed (1.2 innings) got the final nine outs with zero earned runs allowed between the two, closing out the game for the Skyhawks (17-25, 9-8 Ohio Valley Conference).
It was quick work for Steensma as he retired the first seven batters he faced. Meanwhile, the UT Martin offense picked up where it left off on Friday night as Bell scored Fithian on a fielder’s choice in the bottom of the first to give the Skyhawks a 1-0 lead.
The Skyhawk bats were just getting started. McLean started the home half of the second inning with his fifth blast of the season. Fernandez (double) and Bell (two-run single) both had run-scoring hits before Danford went the other way for a three-run shot (career-best 11th home run) to put the cherry on top of a seven-run frame.
Tennessee Tech (26-17, 10-7 OVC) got a run back in the third and scored two runs in the fourth to make the score 8-3. Steensma bounced back strongly in the fifth, keeping the Golden Eagles off the scoreboard in his final frame.
The offense for UT Martin went back to work in the fifth, answering those three runs with three of its own. Rice (sacrifice fly) and Fernandez (two-run single) provided the RBI’s as the Skyhawks stretched their lead back out to 11-3.
After Tennessee Tech scored twice in the top of the sixth, Cole Smith drove in a run in the bottom half on a sacrifice fly to increase UT Martin’s lead back out to seven runs (12-5).
The Golden Eagles pushed across an unearned run in the seventh but the Skyhawks quickly got the run back in the bottom half. Fithian reached on a single, stole second and advanced to third on a throwing error and then managed to score on a wild pitch from third.
Wager managed a strikeout in the eighth before Reed entered and needed just one pitch to induce an inning-ending 6-4-3 double play. The relentless UT Martin offense produced two additional runs in the bottom of the eighth as Beaman lifted a sacrifice fly to score Danford and Cole Smith scored on a passed ball.
The Golden Eagles were retired in order in the top of the ninth as Reed got a flyout, groundout and strikeout to give the Skyhawks their third straight win in OVC play.
UT Martin will go for the sweep tomorrow at 1 p.m. on ESPN+.
