By Alex Boggis, UT Martin Assistant Sports Information Director
STATEBORO, Ga. – The University of Tennessee at Martin softball team slugged eight extra base hits and scored 15 runs to pick up a sweep on Day One of the Gata Challenge with wins over Maine (11-3) and host Georgia Southern (4-3) to open its tournament appearance.
The Skyhawks (4-2) posted a big day offensively by tallying 21 hits in the two games while boasting a .362 batting average as a team. UT Martin peppered the gaps with five doubles while launching three home runs to notch 15 RBIs in the pair of victories.
Sophomore Katie Dreiling paced the Skyhawks with four hits on the day – including a pair of doubles – while driving in a run. The team’s other three doubles were scattered by Emily Gilstrap, Kaci Fuller and Kallie Pickens while the trio of Kaitlyn Kelley, Shyanne Sheffield and Avry Blume secured their first home runs of the season. While five different players droving in multiple runs, newcomer Anna Hazlewood led the team with three RBIs on a pair of base knocks.
UT Martin’s pitching staff combined to post a 3.50 ERA in 12 innings of work. Graduate Seeley Layne (2-0, 2.33 ERA) started Game 1 and lasted four innings on the way to her second victory while issuing zero walks. Erin Gallagher pitched in relief, allowing just a hit in her lone inning of work. Junior Alexis Groet (2-1, 1.68 ERA) started the afternoon matchup where she struck out nine and allowed three earned runs in 6.2 innings of work. Dreiling also contributed in the circle where she closed out the sixth inning, pitching a scoreless third of an inning.
Game 5: UT Martin 11, Maine 3 (Five innings)
For the second time in three games, UT Martin run-ruled an opponent with a strong showing against Maine.
The Skyhawks were the first team to get on the board with a lone run in the top of the second inning. Fuller laced an opposite field double into left before advancing to third on a wild pitch with one out. After a walk to Hazlewood to set up the opportunity, Maddi Long scored the game’s first run with a RBI to the right side which was booted by the first baseman to put UT Martin on top.
The third inning saw the flood gates start to waver as a pair of errors by Maine and three hits led to four runs for the Skyhawks. An error led off the inning before a single by Dreiling through the right side and a fielder’s choice had runners on the corners with one out. Trying to play small ball, Pickens laid down a sacrifice bunt to bring in a run with a RBI before another error led to two runs scoring on the play. Holding a three-run advantage, Hazlewood added two more runs to the margin with a single up the middle to make it a 5-0 contest.
Maine did not go quietly however as a leadoff double in the bottom half of the third to left center by Izzy Nieblas was followed by a two-run home run by Gabby Papushka to cut into the deficit. The Black Bears then added another long ball in the bottom of the fourth off the bat of Kelby Drews to bring the score to 5-3 heading to the fifth.
After back-to-back scoring innings by Maine to cut into the team’s lead, UT Martin looked to put the finishing touches on its victory in the top of the fifth inning. The frame started with a single through the left side by Pickens before she advanced to second on a wild pitch and was joined in scoring position by Fuller following a walk and a throwing error. With two runners in scoring position, Hazlewood dumped a single into right for a RBI before Blume followed two batters later with a bunt single for a RBI to make it a four-run contest again.
With the half inning down to its last out the Skyhawks turned to pinch hitter Emily Gilstrap who cashed in on her opportunity once again with a two-run double down the right field line before Dreiling followed right behind with a double of her own to score the team’s 10th run of the contest. The scoring was not over however as Kelley kept the train rolling with a single to right field before a double to left center by Pickens brought the margin to eight runs and an eventual final score of 11-3.
Game 6: UT Martin 4, Georgia Southern 3
After a lengthy layoff, UT Martin returned to action against the tournament host in the late afternoon and jumped on the board first with a pair of runs in the top of the third inning. With back-to-back outs to start the inning, Dreiling doubled to center to continue the frame before Kelley tallied the big blast with her first home run of the season, sailing the two-run shot to center field.
The host cut the margin in half in the bottom of the fourth inning with a home run of their own as Georgia Southern’s Faith Shirley hit a solo blast to left center.
UT Martin responded in the top of the fifth by getting that run back and some. After an innocent groundout to start the inning, the Skyhawks tallied back-to-back solo home runs by Blume and Sheffield to give the visitors a 4-1 advantage.
The Eagles kept fighting back by trimming the deficit down to one run in the bottom of the sixth inning. After a leadoff single by Chandler Caldwell to start the inning, Shirley struck again with her second home run of the game – this time a two-run jack to right field – to bring the score to 4-3.
After escaping with the lead in hand in the bottom of the sixth off the pitching shoulder of Dreiling, the Skyhawks turned the ball back over to Groet to close out her own win opportunity in the seventh. The Eagles ultimately drew three walks in the inning but could not get the tying run across the plate.
STATESBORO, Ga. – The pair of Anna Hazlewood and Kallie Pickens both tallied three RBIs as the University of Tennessee at Martin softball team picked up a split on the second day of the Gata Challenge on Saturday, falling to North Dakota State (10-0) in the morning matchup before knocking off host Georgia Southern (12-4) for the second consecutive day.
The Skyhawks (5-3) came back from an early morning shutout to awaken their bats in their second matchup with an even dozen runs. The squad’s offense boasted a .385 batting average for the day while bashing 10 extra base hits with four doubles, a triple and four home runs while driving in 12.
All-OVC performer Kaitlyn Kelley led the team with four hits on the day while the trio of Pickens, Kaci Fuller and Paige Clark each tallied three hits. Four different Skyhawks bashed home runs as Pickens, Clark and Hazlewood recorded their first of the year while Avry Blume tallied her second in as many days.
In the pitching circle, Erin Gallagher (1-0, 2.40 ERA) earned her first win of the season after pitching six innings of work while striking out seven and allowing four earned runs against Georgia Southern. Katie Dreiling (0-1, 7.64 ERA) was hit with the loss against North Dakota State after giving up four runs in 1.1 innings of work while Seeley Layne pitched 3.2 innings of relief and gave up six earned runs.
Game 7: North Dakota State 10, UT Martin 0 (Five innings)
After not seeing action in the first day of the tournament, North Dakota State made up for lost time in its Gata Challenge debut with an explosive offensive performance. Following a scoreless first inning for both teams, the Bison scored five runs in the second inning after three hit batters and a walk brought in the first run. With the bases still loaded, back-to-back hits by Emilee Buringa and Molly Gates broke the game open to make it a 5-0 contest to NDSU’s advantage.
The Bison added two more runs in the top of the fourth inning when Buringa’s double was followed up with another RBI by Gates – this time a single – to score the team’s sixth run. Then two batters later, Gates came around to score herself on a RBI by Cameryn Mayku.
UT Martin had a scoring opportunity in the fourth inning when Kelley singled up the middle before moving up to second base on a knock by Pickens to short. Despite the two hits, the Skyhawk pair would be stranded on base to close out the inning.
North Dakota State landed the knockout blow in the top of the fifth. Entering the inning with a seven-run advantage, Buringa completed a three-hit contest by launching a three-run home run to bring the score to 10-0 and enact the run-rule.
While the Skyhawks would lead off the bottom of the fifth with a double to left by Clark and a walk by Emily Gilstrap, the two runners would ultimately be stranded at second and third respectively before the game was called to an end after five.
Game 8: UT Martin 12, Georgia Southern 4 (Six innings)
With a quick turnaround on the docket, UT Martin flipped the script in its second game of the day as Clark launched a solo home run to leadoff the contest against Georgia Southern in the top of the first. The home run marked the fourth of her career.
The Skyhawks added another run in the top of the second as Fuller led off the inning by pulling a triple into the right center gap. The speedster came home to score on the ensuing play as Gilstrap drove in the run with a groundout to the left side.
Entering with a two-run lead in hand, the Skyhawks built upon that advantage in the third. Back-to-back singles to lead off the frame by Dreiling and Kelley were key for UT Martin as Pickens later turned on a ball and stroked it down the left field line for her fifth career home run to make the score 5-0.
Georgia Southern took a big bite out of the five-run deficit in the bottom half of the third inning. The Eagles drew three walks in the inning despite striking out twice as well. With two outs on the board, Jess Mazur played the role of spoiler by sailing a grand slam over the wall in left center to make it a one-run contest.
After the sizable frame by the home squad, the visitors struck right back in the bottom of the fourth. A leadoff home run by Blume marked her second against the Eagles in two days while a double to right center by Kelley later in the inning was followed up by Hazlewood’s first collegiate home run – scoring two runs. The team’s offensive push was not done in the frame as three consecutive singles by Pickens, Fuller and Gilstrap led to a RBI by the right fielder later in the inning to make it 10-4.
With the game nearly out of reach, the Skyhawks put the finishing touches in the fifth and sixth innings offensively. UT Martin took an 11-run lead into the fifth when Hazlewood notched her third RBI of the day to score Clark on the play. They then added their 12th and final score in the sixth on a RBI double by Maddi Long to bring the eventual winning score to 12-4.
UT Martin will have a couple days to unwind before returning to action on Wednesday, Feb. 23 when playing a neutral site game against Southeastern Conference foe Mississippi State in Lexington, Tenn.
Graphic courtesy of UT Martin Sports Information