By Ryne Rickman, UT Martin Sports Information Director
MARTIN, Tenn. – The University of Tennessee at Martin ended the home portion of its 2021 schedule with a series victory over Ohio Valley Conference rival, splitting its Saturday doubleheader with a 7-4 win in Game 1 before a 15-9 setback in Game 2. Combined with a 9-8 win on Friday, the Skyhawks collected their third OVC series win of the spring.
Jack Culumovic (.600 batting average, 3-for-5), Ethan Whitley (.571, 4-for-7 including a multi-home run performance in Game 1, five RBI’s) and Blake Daniels (.429, 3-for-7, four runs scored) led UT Martin offensively today. Casey Harford also drove in three runs on the day for the Skyhawks, who are now 17-27 (9-15 OVC) heading into the final week of the 2021 campaign.
On the mound, David Hussey earned a save in Game 1 and came back to make the start in Game 2, combining for three scoreless innings with four strikeouts. Ryan Insco collected his first win of the season after fanning four Golden Eagles over three innings in today’s first matchup after starter Winston Cannon (five innings, two runs, six strikeouts, no walks) did not factor into the decision.
UT Martin plays at nationally ranked Ole Miss on Tuesday, May 18 before paying a visit to OVC foe Southeast Missouri on Thursday, May 20 through Friday, May 21.
Game 1
Whitley’s second multi-homer game of the season and fourth of his career helped the Skyhawks claim a series-clinching victory in today’s opener.
Cannon dialed up back-to-back strikeouts to leave a pair of runners on the basepaths to wrap up the first inning and followed that with an efficient 12-pitch inning that included another strikeout in the second.
Whitley opened the scoring with a solo jack out to left center to lead off the top of the second, issuing UT Martin a 1-0 advantage.
Cannon put up another zero in the third after only tossing four pitches, aided by a double play on a sacrifice bunt attempt.
In the third, Billy Edwards smacked a leadoff triple off the wall in right center and eventually came around to score on a Harford RBI, pushing the Skyhawk lead out to 2-0.
Tennessee Tech (19-24, 12-15 OVC) scored one run apiece in the fourth and fifth innings to even the score. Cannon pitched around a two-out error in the fifth by whiffing his second batter of the frame.
Insco entered the game in the sixth and retired the side in order as the freshman righty from Kirkwood, Mo. carved up the 3-4-5 hitters in the Golden Eagle lineup.
The Skyhawks scored twice in the sixth, taking advantage of a Tennessee Tech miscue. Christian Hall and Culumovic each drew walks and both came around to score on a dropped popup that would have been the third out of the inning.
Insco went back to work in the seventh, generating another scoreless frame to keep UT Martin ahead by a 4-2 margin.
The Skyhawks added three insurance runs in the seventh. Daniels singled with one away and soon crossed the plate on a clutch two-out double to left center off the bat of Hall. Three pitches later, Whitley socked his 29th career homer over the left field wall as the junior first baseman from Mason, Tenn. ranks fourth in school history in round trippers.
The Golden Eagles scored two runs in the eighth but Insco stranded a runner on third base following back-to-back outs to end the threat, piling up two more strikeouts in the process.
Hussey took over in the ninth and was his usual dominant self, accumulating a pair of strikeouts sandwiched around a weak-contact groundout to shortstop to notch his fifth save of the season.
Game 2
UT Martin made a valiant comeback attempt in the nightcap but Tennessee Tech avoided the sweep.
Still loose from his abbreviated 15-pitch appearance in the opener, Hussey was on point to begin Game 2. He fanned a pair of batters in the first and stranded two runners in the second after Culumovic made a great charging play on a safety squeeze bunt attempt for the third out of the inning.
The Golden Eagles got on the scoreboard first, scoring three runs off Nick Wohlbold (3-4) in the third inning.
The Skyhawks didn’t flinch, pushing across three runs themselves in the bottom half. Noah Thigpen doubled to straightaway centerfield to lead off the inning before Alec Beaman grinded out an eight-pitch walk. Daniels lined a double to left center to score Thigpen plus Beaman before Hall sent a game-tying RBI single to right center to knot things at 3-all.
A four-run top of the fourth by Tennessee Tech resulted in a lead that the Golden Eagles would not relinquish the rest of the way. Eric Steensma struck out a pair of batters entering midway through that inning in relief but the Golden Eagles eventually went ahead 11-3 after tallying four runs on two hits in the top of the fifth.
UT Martin made things interested with six unanswered runs in its next three at-bats. Daniels reached on an error to lead off the fifth and came around to score on a Whitley two-out RBI single. The Skyhawks batted around in the sixth as Nate Self (double), Edwards (single), Beaman (RBI single), Daniels (single), Harford (two-run single) and Whitley (RBI single) all reached safely. Beaman came up big in the next inning as well as the true freshman out of Franklin, Tenn. went opposite field for an RBI triple to score Thigpen, who had singled with one away. That tightened up to score at 11-9 through seven innings of play.
Matthew Shunk allowed UT Martin to get back in the game after a commendable effort out of the bullpen. The senior from Burleson, Texas entered in the fifth and stranded a runner after a strikeout. He then shut down the Tennessee Tech bats in the sixth and again in the seventh, striking out the first two batters of the inning.
Shunk pitched into the eighth but departed after the Golden Eagles scored one run on two hits. Tucker Reed came in and ensured no other runs came in, thanks in large part to a heads-up play in the field by Edwards on a perfect throw to the plate on a fielder’s choice with the infield drawn in.
Tennessee Tech essentially put the game out of reach with a three-run top of the ninth as the Skyhawks couldn’t get anything going in the bottom half.
Graphic Courtesy of UT Martin Sports Information