By Ryne Rickman, UT Martin Sports Information Director
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Timely hitting and clutch pitching throughout the day resulted in an impressive doubleheader sweep for the University of Tennessee at Martin baseball squad, who defeated Belmont by scores of 4-2 and 7-3 at ES Rose Park.
Today marked the first time since 2010 that the Skyhawks started their season with a pair of wins in a doubleheader.
As a team, UT Martin’s offense banged out 15 hits today – led by a perfect 5-for-5, 3-RBI effort from newcomer Andrew Fernandez in the nightcap. Fernandez’s five-hit effort was the first five-hit performance by a Skyhawk since March 27, 2021. Zac Rice was also 3-for-7 with a pair of RBI’s at the dish today while Caleb Hobson (two hits, two walks) was an on-base machine. Alec Beaman also went deep in the frontend of the doubleheader for UT Martin, who topped a Bruin squad that won the Ohio Valley Conference regular season championship last spring.
On the hill, Jordan Armstrong drew the start in Game 1 and earned the win after whiffing eight batters over five innings, conceding just two runs on five hits. Tristan Walton started the backend of the doubleheader and also was awarded the victory, allowing only two runs on five hits with four strikeouts over six frames. The bullpen duo of Campbell Cleveland (two innings in Game 1) and Choyce Diffey (three frames in Game 2) was flawless as they each collected saves after combining to concede zero earned runs over five innings of work.
The Skyhawks will look to keep the momentum going tomorrow as UT Martin and Belmont meet up for another doubleheader. First pitch for a seven-inning Game 1 is set for 1 p.m. with a regular nine-inning contest to follow.
Game 1
Pitted against reigning OVC Pitcher of the Year Andy Bean, the Skyhawks came out victorious after strong pitching performances of their own.
The Bruins got on the scoreboard first with a run in the first inning but Armstrong quickly settled in, striking out a pair of batters in each of his first three frames.
UT Martin got on the scoreboard in the top of the third as Beaman launched the third pitch he saw for a homer that cleared the left field wall. It was the second career round tripper for the Franklin, Tenn. native as he delivered the Skyhawks’ first hit of the 2023 campaign.
Following Beaman’s home run, Rice singled and Will Smith followed with a walk to put a pair of UT Martin runners on the basepaths. The speedy Rice stole third base and scampered home on an error by the catcher, giving the Skyhawks a lead they would not concede the rest of the way. Mac Danford later singled in the inning to put men on the corners before Smith came in to score on a wild pitch to push UT Martin’s lead out to 3-1.
Belmont got one run back in the third but Armstrong was electric over his final two frames – not allowing a ball out of the infield during that span. The righty from McDonough, Ga. retired the side in order on just eight pitches in the fourth and received an inning-ending 6-4-3 double play to wrap up the fifth, also needing only eight pitches in that frame.
Meanwhile, the Skyhawk bats tacked on another run in the top of the fifth to make the score 4-2. Rice led off the inning with a single to centerfield and came home two batters later on an RBI off the bat of Smith.
Cleveland then made his UT Martin debut and easily converted a six-out save. The 6-3, 210-pounder posted a strikeout and induced a pair of flyouts in the sixth before closing out the seventh with a groundout and pair of flyouts.
Game 2
Walton was in cruise control for a majority of his start, allowing the Skyhawks to take both ends of the doubleheader. The Lawson State Community College product sat down the first six Bruins he faced on 20 combined pitches.
UT Martin grabbed a 1-0 lead in the top of the third as Hobson drew a one-out walk and flew home on a Fernandez double to centerfield.
Belmont came back to even the score at 1-1 in the bottom of the third but the Skyhawks sent nine batters to the plate in a four-run fourth. Jackson Cooke was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning before a two-out rally ensued. Hobson smoked the first pitch he saw for a double to right center before Rice came through with a two-run single. Fernandez then singled before back-to-back RBI singles from Danford and Blaze Bell extended UT Martin’s lead out to 5-1.
That run support was more than enough for Walton, who whiffed a pair of batters in the bottom of the fourth and sat the Bruins down in order in the fifth.
The Skyhawks tacked on a run in the sixth when Fernandez sprinted around the bases for an inside-the-park home run, providing UT Martin with a 6-1 advantage.
Belmont scored once in the sixth before Diffey took over on the mound during the following inning. The Sallis, Miss. native held the Bruins off the scoreboard in the seventh, recording a strikeout for his first out in a Skyhawk uniform.
UT Martin added an insurance run in the eighth. Hobson fought off an 0-2 pitch for a single up the middle and soon moved up 90 feet on a stolen base. Fernandez continued his historic day with his fifth base-knock – a single through the right side to plate Hobson and make the score 7-2.
Belmont was able to push across an unearned run in the eighth but that was as close as it would get the rest of the way. Diffey did a masterful job of pitching out of a potential jam in the ninth, overpowering the Bruins with three strikeouts – including the No. 2 and No. 3 hitters in the Belmont lineup with the bases loaded to end the game.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The University of Tennessee at Martin baseball team launched a pair of homers in Game 1 and received a dominant starting pitching effort in Game 2 today but it wasn’t enough as Belmont claimed both ends of the doubleheader by scores of 11-4 and 4-2.
Skyhawk senior right-hander Seth Petry was locked in throughout his start on the mound in the nightcap, tossing a perfect game through 5.1 innings. He ended his day in line for the win after a career-high seven innings, allowing only three hits and zero earned runs to go along with a career-best six strikeouts. However, the Bruins scored three runs in the bottom of the eighth inning and the Murfreesboro, Tenn. native received a tough-luck no-decision.
Lefties Zach Wager (one inning, two strikeouts in Game 1) and Colin Millar (0.1 innings in Game 2) each produced scoreless appearances out of the bullpen today in their UT Martin debuts.
At the plate today, Will Smith hit .500 (3-for-6) with a home run while scoring three of the team’s six runs. Jack Culumovic also hit .500 while reaching base three times in five opportunities while Zac Rice homered and drove in a pair of runs in Game 1.
The Skyhawks begin a busy five-game week on Tuesday, Feb. 21 when they make the short trip to Murray State. First pitch time from Johnny Reagan Field is scheduled for 3 p.m. on ESPN+.
Game 1
Seven different UT Martin’s starters tallied a base hit but Belmont scored in four of its six innings for its first win of the season.
Making his first collegiate appearance since May 20, 2021, Eric Steensma (0-1) breezed through the first inning – recording his first out on a called punchout.
The Skyhawks struck first on the scoreboard, pushing across a run in the top of the second. Culumovic ripped an opposite-field double to left center and three pitches later came around to score on an RBI single by Slade Taylor to give UT Martin the 1-0 advantage.
Steensma dialed up two more strikeouts in the second inning but not before the Bruins scored three runs.
Andrew Fernandez (double) and Blaze Bell (walk) each reached base in the top of the third but a potential Skyhawk rally stalled.
Belmont scored three runs in the third and three runs in the fourth to go on top 9-1 but UT Martin chipped away in the top of the fifth. Smith pulverized the second pitch of the frame for a homer to left center, the ninth longball in the career of the junior from Prattville, Ala. Alec Beaman followed with a single and two batters later, Rice went yard on an 0-2 count to trim the Skyhawk deficit to 9-4.
Wager took over in the bottom of the fifth as the freshman from Columbus, Ind. calmly retired the side in order.
The Bruins added two runs in the bottom of the sixth and time ran out on UT Martin as the first outing was a seven-inning affair.
Game 2
Petry was on top of his game from the get-go, mowing down the first 16 Belmont hitters on just 57 pitches. He struck out three of the first four batters he faced and did not allow a ball out of the infield until the final out of the second frame.
The 6-1, 190-pounder didn’t go to a three-ball count until the third inning, ending that frame with a called strikeout on the ninth pitch of the at-bat. Petry then induced three groundball outs in the fourth and was as sharp as ever in the fifth – extending the perfect game by needing just six pitches to retire the side.
Meanwhile, the Skyhawk offense had their chances but couldn’t cash in. UT Martin placed five runners in scoring position through the first five innings but the Bruins were able to escape a jam each time.
The Skyhawks broke the scoreless tie in the top of the sixth. Smith drew a five-pitch walk and advanced to second on a throwing error from the pitcher on a failed pickoff attempt. Culumovic – who had just entered the game as a pinch-hitter – guided a two-out single to left field which easily brought in the speedy Smith and made the score 1-0 in favor of UT Martin.
Belmont tied the game in the bottom of the sixth on an unearned run as a two-out error made the score 1-all. Each of the next two batters reached base but Petry zoned in for a called strikeout on three pitches, stranding the bases loaded and keeping the game knotted at 1-1.
Both sides produced a runner in scoring position in their respective halves of the seventh. However, the Bruins managed to get out of the inning unscathed while Petry collected another called strikeout and an inning-ending flyout to cap off a remarkable outing.
Another two-out rally was in the cards for the Skyhawks in the top of the eighth. Smith singled up the middle with two away and Culumovic worked a walk to put a pair of UT Martin runners on the basepaths. Nate Self then delivered a clutch RBI single to right center that plated Smith and gave the Skyhawks the lead.
However, Belmont also had a two-out rally in store as the Bruins hit a go-ahead three-run home run with two outs in the eighth to go on top by a 4-2 margin. Unfortunately, UT Martin could not bring the tying run to the plate in the top of the ninth.
Graphic courtesy of UT Martin Sports Information