By Ryne Rickman, UT Martin Sports Information Director
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. – The University of Tennessee at Martin pitching staff combined for 23 strikeouts while allowing just five runs on 13 hits over two games today, splitting the season-ending doubleheader against Southeast Missouri at Capaha Field. The Skyhawks fell by a slim 3-2 margin in Game 1 before rallying for an impressive 9-2 victory in Game 2.
Four UT Martin hurlers allowed just three extra-base hits this afternoon, pitching to a 2.65 ERA over 17 innings of work. Sam Folks moved to 3-6 on the season after tossing seven innings of two-run baseball in Game 2, fanning a season-high eight batters against only one walk. Winston Cannon (6-6) pitched well in Game 1, whiffing a career-best 11 Redhawks over 5.2 frames. He became the first Skyhawk to pile up at least 11 strikeouts since his former teammate Dalton Westfall had 11 punchouts at SIUE on April 22, 2017.
Out of the bullpen, Seth Petry (Game 1) and David Hussey (Game 2) joined forces for 4.1 shutout innings today. Petry fanned three batters over 2.1 innings while Hussey allowed just one batter to reach over the final two innings of the nightcap victory.
Offensively, UT Martin outhit Southeast Missouri in both games today – finishing with 20 overall hits. Jack Culumovic was on fire at the dish, batting .625 (5-for-8) while tying for the team lead with three RBI’s. Blake Daniels tagged a three-run homer for the second time in four days while Blake Davis scored a team-high three runs for the Skyhawks, who conclude the 2021 campaign with a 19-29 overall record (10-17 in Ohio Valley Conference play).
Game 1
Culumovic tied a career-high with three hits – finishing just a triple shy of hitting for the cycle – but Southeast Missouri withstood a UT Martin rally to clinch the 2021 OVC regular season title.
The Redhawks (27-19, 17-10 OVC) scored one run in the bottom of the first but Cannon’s second strikeout of the frame got the Skyhawks out of a jam. The senior out of Cookeville, Tenn. fanned two more batters over a scoreless frame in the second and the UT Martin bats responded with a run in its next turn to even the score at 1-all.
Davis went opposite-field for a leadoff single in the third and advanced 90 feet on a wild pitch. Culumovic then guided an RBI single to center to erase the Skyhawk deficit.
Cannon whiffed the first two batters in the third on his way to another shutout inning. He added two more strikeouts in the fourth but Southeast Missouri tallied a run to go on top by a 2-1 margin.
Following a scoreless frame by Cannon in the fifth, UT Martin seemed destined to tie the score in the top of the sixth after Culumovic laced a leadoff double down the left field line. He moved up to third base on a sacrifice bunt by Alec Beaman but unfortunately was thrown out trying to score on a hard-hit fielder’s choice off the bat of Daniels.
In the final inning of his Skyhawk career, Cannon accumulated two more strikeouts before parting ways in the sixth. Petry entered after the Redhawks had already scored one run and stranded the bases loaded with a called strikeout of his own to keep the score at 3-1.
Petry once again did a masterful job in the seventh, collecting a pair of strikeouts while leaving three runners on the basepaths in a shutout frame.
Culumovic trimmed UT Martin’s deficit to 3-2 with a solo homer in the top of the eighth, going yard for the third time in six career games against Southeast Missouri.
After Petry kept the Redhawks off the scoreboard in the eighth, the Skyhawks had a legitimate shot to tie or send the game into the bottom of the ninth. Ethan Whitley was responsible for a leadoff single and Noah Thigpen was issued a two-out walk to put two men on for UT Martin’s hottest hitter in Culumovic. Following a pitching change where Southeast Missouri brought in its closer, Culumovic barreled up a 1-0 pitch for a line drive to the right side. However, the Redhawk second baseman was able to scoop up the ball and make the play for the final out of the contest.
Game 2
The Skyhawks had five extra-base hits and got to the Southeast Missouri bullpen while Folks and Hussey mowed down the Redhawks in the series finale.
Folks was sharp throughout his appearance, retiring the side in order on nine pitches in the bottom of the first. He followed that with a three-up, three-down bottom of the second.
Billy Edwards lined a double to right center with one away in the third before Daniels drew a walk as UT Martin threatened to break the scoreless tie. However, Southeast Missouri not only managed to get out of the inning unscathed but also scored twice in the bottom half of the frame to take a 2-0 advantage.
That was all Folks would allow the rest of the way. The senior southpaw from Franklin, Tenn. registered two strikeouts in the fourth and worked around a one-out infield single in the fifth.
The Skyhawks knotted the score at 2-2 in the sixth. Daniels crushed his team-best 13th double of the season to lead off the inning and came around to score on an RBI single by Casey Harford. Thigpen walked with two outs and Culumovic delivered the game-tying RBI on a single to left field.
Folks needed only six pitches – all strikes – to sit the Redhawks down in order in a big shutdown inning in the sixth.
UT Martin broke through for four runs in the top of the seventh. Davis and Beaman each walked to set up Daniels, who lifted a long homer beyond the right field wall to nudge the Skyhawks ahead by a 5-2 margin. UT Martin wasn’t done as Whitley and Christian Hall each doubled to extend the Skyhawk lead out to four runs.
In the bottom of the seventh, Folks remained locked in. He once again used only nine pitches to retire the side in order in his final inning in a UT Martin uniform.
The Skyhawks scored three times on one hit in the top of the eighth. Culumovic (hit by pitch), Davis (single), Beaman (hit by pitch) and Daniels (hit by pitch) all reached safely while UT Martin scored twice off balks before a Whitley sacrifice fly made the score 9-2.
Hussey came in for the eighth inning and faced no problems in a scoreless frame. He then sat Southeast Missouri down in order on just eight pitches in the ninth to send Folks and the Skyhawks out as winners.
Graphic Courtesy of UT Martin Sports Information