By Alex Boggis, UT Martin Assistant Sports Information Director
SAINT LOUIS, Mo. – The University of Tennessee at Martin pitching tandem of Alexis Groet and Erin Gallagher combined to toss a shutout while the Skyhawk offense saw four different players tally multiple base hits on the way to an 8-0 road victory at Atlantic 10 foe Saint Louis on Wednesday afternoon.
The Skyhawks (13-7) posted a dominating team effort in the squad’s final tune-up before opening Ohio Valley Conference play this weekend by eclipsing 10 hits while pitching a shutout and playing a clean game defensively with zero errors. UT Martin scored early and often by putting a run on the board in the first and another in the third before breaking the game open with three runs in both the fifth and sixth innings to end the game early.
Groet (6-3, 1.29 ERA) picked up her sixth win of the season by holding the Billikens in check for five innings. During her stretch she faced just two batters above the minimum while striking out two and allowing just one walk and a hit. Gallagher appeared in relief where she completed the combined shutout with one strikeout in the frame.
Offensively, four different players tallied multiple base hits with the quartet of Paige Clark, Kaitlyn Kelley, Anna Hazlewood and Shyanne Sheffield each scratching out two hits each. Sheffield led the team with three RBIs on the afternoon while Clark added two of her own, along with two more stolen bases to bring her career total up to 84.
UT Martin was able to jump out to its early lead after Clark led off the game with a single to second base before swiping second to move into scoring position and sole possession of third place on the program’s all-time steals leaderboard. After later moving over to third on a single up the middle by Kelley, Clark then came home the final 60 feet on a sacrifice fly RBI by Kallie Pickens to take a 1-0 advantage.
Another sacrifice fly led to the team’s second run of the contest in the third inning. After reaching base via a hit by pitch earlier in the inning, Kaci Fuller later made her way around the bases and ultimately scored on a RBI by Sheffield to pad the margin to two runs.
The Skyhawks would maintain their two-run advantage until the top of the fifth when they added some insurance runs to their scoring column. After back-to-back outs to start the frame, the team strung together a two-out rally as Hazlewood doubled to right field before being pulled for pinch runner Anna Blanton. That change paid off on the next at-bat as Blanton came around to score on a single through the left side by Sheffield. Then after Emily Gilstrap reached via a hit by pitch, two runs came home to score as Clark ripped an opposite field triple down the right field line to clear the bases and give UT Martin a 5-0 lead.
UT Martin ultimately put the game away in the top of the sixth inning by reaching the eight-run margin to enact the mercy rule following the bottom of the frame. The big three-run inning began with a single through the left side by Kelley before Pickens reached via a walk. The pair later both moved into scoring position on a wild pitch to set up Hazlewood for a RBI opportunity which she cashed in with a single through the right side to bring in a run. Little did the Billikens know that single was just the first of three consecutive RBI base knocks followed by Sheffield and Gilstrap to pad the Skyhawks margin and bring the eventual final score to 8-0.
The Skyhawks will return home this weekend to open OVC play when playing host to Tennessee Tech for a three-game series beginning on Saturday, March 19. First pitch of the doubleheader from Bettye Giles Field is slated for 1 p.m.
Graphic courtesy of UT Martin Sports Information