By Alex Boggis, UT Martin Assistant Sports Information Director
MOREHEAD, Ky – The University of Tennessee at Martin softball team received dazzling pitching performances on Sunday as both Erin Gallagher and Alexis Groet tossed shutouts in a pair of 9-0 (five innings) and 2-0 victories against Ohio Valley Conference foe Morehead State but it was a no-hit performance by Gallagher which will join the Skyhawk record books.
The Skyhawks (22-12, 7-4 OVC) completed the series sweep after limiting the Eagles (2-27, 1-12 OVC) to just three hits and zero runs on the day between 12 innings of work.
Hailing from Suwanee, Ga., Gallagher became just the ninth player in UT Martin softball history to toss a no-hitter in the Game 1 win over Morehead State on Sunday afternoon. The reigning OVC Pitcher of the Week picked up her seventh win of the season after pitching five innings and striking out three while allowing zero hits and zero runs on the day. Included in her dominating performance, she faced just one batter above the minimum in the five-inning contest for her fifth career shutout.
Gallagher now joins a select list which includes Cindy Bringle (twice in 1991), Tiffany Craig (1995), Megan Mizell (2005), Ashton Strode (2006), Kate Vanderham (2010), Alyssa Vanlandingham (2017) and Lexi Ray (2019).
Also posting a strong outing on the day was Groet who improved to 8-6 on the year after picking up her fourth shutout as a Skyhawk. Groet went the distance while striking out 10 and scattering four hits over seven innings.
On the offensive side of the ball, nine different players tallied base hits while seven had multiple base knocks. The trio of Shyanne Sheffield, Avry Blume and Kaci Fuller each tallied three hits on the day while Sheffield joined Maddi Long and Kallie Pickens with a pair of individual RBIs.
Game 33: UT Martin 9, Morehead State 0 (Five innings)
The Skyhawks jumped into the scoring column in the top of the second inning after tallying three hits in the frame. Back-to-back hits by Sheffield and Blume moved the pair into scoring position with just one out to set up Long for an RBI opportunity which she capitalized on to give the visitors an early one-run advantage. Senior Emily Gilstrap then added to the margin with an opposite field single for her 16th RBI of the season to put UT Martin up 2-0.
The following inning saw a big opposite field two-out double into the left field corner by Katie Dreiling to keep the third frame alive for the Skyhawks. With a runner in scoring position in front of her, Pickens brought Dreiling home to score the game’s third run with a single to center field.
UT Martin blew the game open in the fourth inning with six runs to end the contest early. The Skyhawks started the frame by loading the bases before an error on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Kaitlyn Kelley brought home the first run of the inning. Two more runs came home on the ensuing play as Dreiling rifled an opposite field single to left to score Paige Clark while a defensive miscue allowed Fuller to scamper home. The visitors capped off the day’s scoring output with a two-run double by Sheffield and an RBI single by Long to bring the score to 9-0.
While the team’s offense was rolling in the opener, the Skyhawks really needed just one run with Gallagher in the circle. Along with her no-hitter, Gallagher faced just one batter above the minimum in the contest with her only blemishes coming on a hit by pitch in the first and a walk in the fourth.
Game 34: UT Martin 2, Morehead State 0
After a big offensive performance in Game 1, the second game of the doubleheader was a pitcher’s duel for much of the contest until the Skyhawks broke through in the top of the fifth inning. With four scoreless innings in the books, Clark got the scoring started by hitting a solo home run to left for her fifth career homer. The Skyhawks weren’t done in the frame as Pickens added another run to the tally by cranking her 11th double of the season to bring in Fuller and make it a 2-0 contest.
With one shutout snapped, the Skyhawks worked to keep theirs preserved. With a two-run cushion behind her, Groet only allowed one hit over the final three innings of the game to shutdown the Eagles and secure the series sweep.
UT Martin will return home for its next homestand when playing host to OVC foe Eastern Illinois for a three-game series beginning with a doubleheader against Eastern Illinois on Friday, April 15.
Graphic courtesy of UT Martin Sports Information