By Alex Boggis, UT Martin Assistant Sports Information Director
MONTGOMERY, Ala. – The University of Tennessee at Martin softball team got the 2023 season off on the right foot by securing a 4-1 victory over Kennesaw State on the first night of the Stinger Classic behind a big second inning and strong pitching performances.
The Skyhawks (1-0) held the Owls off the scoreboard for six innings while stringing together 11 hits in their first test of the season. While the pitching staff was strong throughout, the offense used one big scoring inning – tallying four runs in the bottom of the second inning – to propel the Skyhawks to victory.
Junior outfielder Kaci Fuller tallied three hits in the opener but it was a three-run triple in the bottom of the second which truly broke the game open. Additionally, both Anna Hazlewood and Maddi Long also tallied multiple base hits on Friday evening while Avry Blume made the most of her lone hit with a RBI single to score the Skyhawks first run of 2023.
While the offense racked up the hits throughout the game, the team’s pitching performance was highlighted by a strong start by Katie Dreiling in the circle. Dreiling (1-0) picked up her second career victory after tossing a career-high 6.0 innings of work while striking out five and allowing just one earned run. When the Owls did mount a late comeback attempt in the top of the seventh, Emily Brown entered the contest with two runners on and came away with her first career save.
Kennesaw State (1-1) split its first two games of the season after dropping the night cap to the Skyhawks. The squad scattered five hits in the contest – including three in the seventh inning – while Pacy Villa came away with the team’s lone RBI. Starter Lindsey Kyte was hit with the loss after allowing four earned runs and 10 hits over five innings of work.
The second inning proved to be a big frame for the Skyhawks as they plated all four of their runs. The bottom of the second began with a leadoff single by Kaitlyn Kelley before she later moved into scoring position on a single through the right side by Hazlewood. Then the Skyhawks burst into the scoring column for the first time this season as Blume laced a single past the diving second baseman to score Kelley and give the squad an early 1-0 lead.
The team’s scoring output wasn’t restricted to the one run as Blume’s single was followed by another base knock by Long to load the bases. Following an innocent pop out for the second out of the inning, Fuller pulled a lofted ball to right field which beat the fielder and resulted in a bases clearing triple for three RBIs. With the big hit, the Skyhawks held a 4-0 advantage.
UT Martin pitched a shutout until the top of the seventh inning when Kennesaw State found some life in their bats. The Owls began the frame with back-to-back hits to chase Dreiling out of the game. After Brown entered in relief with two runners on and no outs, she got a quick out before allowing Kennesaw State to get on the board following an RBI single by Villa up the middle. Despite the run, Brown stayed the course with back-to-back ground balls to secure the save and a win for the Skyhawks.
The University of Tennessee at Martin softball team had the remainder of its games at the Stinger Classic cancelled because of heavy amounts of rain.
After Saturday’s two games were washed out with constant rain at the Barbara Williams Softball Complex, the remnants of the storm made the playing field unplayable Sunday. With the cancelations, the Skyhawks leave the Stinger Classic with a 1-0 record after knocking off Kennesaw State on Friday evening.
UT Martin will return to action at the UE Softball Invitational next week with four contests beginning on Friday, Feb. 17.
Graphic courtesy of UT Martin Sports Information