PEORIA, Ill. – The University of Tennessee at Martin softball program saw its season come to a close in the opening round of the 2024 Ohio Valley Conference Softball Championship, falling to No. 8 seed SIUE by a 6-1 margin.
The Skyhawks conclude the season with a 30-22 overall record after finishing fifth in the league standings.
UT Martin was limited to just two hits in the contest but committed three errors on a tough day on the diamond. Seniors Kiersten Nixon and Anna Blanton both tallied base knocks for the Skyhawks while Carly Ward scored the game’s lone run for the higher seed. In the circle, Nixon (8-5) was hit with the loss while three player saw action.
SIUE (19-32) jumped out to an early lead and never looked back. The Cougars saw Emma Henderson crank a solo home run to open the game’s scoring in the second inning. The visitors on the scoreboard continued their offensive attack with a pair of runs in both the fourth and fifth innings. A groundout-RBI by Emma Henderson followed by an error led to two runs in the fourth inning before back-to-back RBI opportunities by Grace Lueke and Anna Henderson pushed the Cougars advantage out to five runs.
UT Martin got on the board in the bottom of the sixth inning. Alli Robinson drew a four-pitch walk before being relieved by Ward as a pinch runner. The freshman quickly used her legs to the Skyhawks benefit as she advanced to second on a passed ball, to third on a wild pitch and ultimately home on the second passed ball of the frame.
The Cougars put the final run in the scoring column in the top of the seventh when Anna Henderson capped off a strong day with a RBI-single up the middle.
