By Ryne Rickman, UT Martin Sports Information Director
OXFORD, Miss. – The University of Tennessee at Martin baseball team never trailed this evening at No. 11 Ole Miss, taking its final lead of the game thanks to a Blake Daniels three-run home run in the top of the eighth in a 9-7 victory over the Rebels.
This marks the second win over a nationally ranked opponent for the Skyhawks in 2021 as UT Martin also defeated No. 22 Alabama (9-4) on Feb. 24. In head coach Ryan Jenkins’ four seasons as head coach, the Skyhawks have now defeated four nationally ranked foes (No. 30 South Alabama in 2020, No. 13 Southern Miss in 2018).
UT Martin handed Ole Miss its first midweek home loss of the season (was previously 10-0) and won over the Rebels for the first time since March 28, 2000. The Skyhawks went deep three times in the contest and outhit Ole Miss – who ranks second nationally in hits – by a 12-10 margin.
Daniels and Noah Thigpen each slammed three-run homers while Ethan Whitley cranked a two-run jack for UT Martin (18-27). Nate Self and Alec Beaman also scored two runs apiece for the Skyhawks.
On the hill, Eric Steensma (1-2) earned his first win of the season after a dominant seventh inning while David Hussey recorded his sixth save of the season, going the final two frames. Nick Wohlbold (one inning) and Sam Folks (two innings) also had scoreless outings to back up freshman southpaw Boston Smith, who made just his fourth career appearance (second start) tonight.
Smith was flawless in the bottom of the first, mowing down the Rebels in order to set up UT Martin’s first lead of the contest.
Jack Culumovic and Self collected back-to-back one-out singles in the top of the second, setting up Thigpen for a three-run shot that cleared the left field wall. It was the second homer of the season for the sophomore outfielder from Jackson, Miss.
Ole Miss (36-16) got one run back in the bottom of the second but the Skyhawks immediately answered. Christian Hall drew a leadoff walk in the top of the third and Whitley pulverized the next offering for a two-run homer, making the score 5-1 in the process. It marked Whitley’s 11th longball of the season (third in the last three games) and 30th of his career.
After the Rebels scored twice in the third to trim UT Martin’s lead to 5-3, the Skyhawks tacked on a run in their next at-bat. Beaman singled with one away and scampered home on a Casey Harford RBI double that split the gap out in left center.
Wohlbold appeared in the fourth and was lights-out, retiring the side in order. Ole Miss rallied to tie the game at 6-all thanks to a three-run fifth. Folks entered with the bases loaded and no outs and pitched his way out of a jam, receiving a pair of heads-up plays defensively from Harford (throwing a runner out at third on a fielder’s choice to his right) and Whitley (throwing a runner out at second on a pickoff attempt).
Folks kept the Rebels off the scoreboard in the sixth, stranding a pair of runners to keep momentum in the UT Martin dugout. Steensma followed in the seventh and was filthy, not allowing a ball out of the infield while tossing only eight pitches to sit Ole Miss down in order.
The Skyhawks’ big swing of the night came in the top of the eighth. Self singled to center to lead off the inning and advanced 90 feet on a sacrifice bunt by Thigpen. Beaman showed incredible plate discipline by drawing a walk, forcing a pitching change. Daniels then jumped on a 1-0 off-speed pitch and lifted a moonshot homer over the Rebel bullpen in right field.
Jenkins turned the reigns over to his closer Hussey for a six-out save and the senior righty from Minter, Ala. delivered. Ole Miss did scratch out a run in the eighth but that was all it could muster as Hussey struck out the potential game-tying run at the plate for the final out of the game.
UT Martin will look to carry its momentum into the final series of the season when it travels to Cape Girardeau, Mo. for a matchup against Ohio Valley Conference co-leader Southeast Missouri. The three-game set will feature a 5 p.m. single contest on Thursday, May 20 and will wrap up with a 1 p.m. doubleheader on Friday, May 21.
Graphic courtesy of UT Martin Sports Information