Thursday 28th March 2024
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UT Martin Baseball Swept at Home By Kent State

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By Ryne Rickman, UT Martin Sports Information Director

 

MARTIN, Tenn. – The University of Tennessee at Martin baseball team continued its long homestand today, hosting Kent State for the first two contests of a three-game nonconference series. The Skyhawks were defeated by scores of 6-0 and 12-3 in the third doubleheader already of the 2023 campaign.

Hunter McLean, Blaze Bell and Zac Rice each had two hits apiece today while McLean and Rice both drove in a run. The trio of Nate Self, Caleb Hobson and Jackson Cooke all scored once today for UT Martin, who is now 3-8.

On the hill, Zach Wager and Choyce Diffey did not allow an earned run in relief appearances for the Skyhawks today. UT Martin’s starting pitchers of Jordan Armstrong (Game 1) and Tristan Walton (Game 2) combined to strikeout nine batters over 10.1 innings as six different Skyhawks saw action on the mound today.

Game 1

The Skyhawks put together a rally after chasing Golden Flashes starter Ben Cruikshank in the bottom of the seventh but the Kent State bullpen held on for the win.

The Golden Flashes scored twice in the top of the first but Armstrong (1-1) shut down the Kent State offense for the next three innings, retiring 10 straight batters. He needed only nine pitches to breeze through the second frame before recording strikeouts in each of the next two frames.

The Skyhawks brought the tying run to the plate in the fourth as the speedy Hobson reached on a one-out error. However, the Golden Flashes got out of the inning with their 2-0 lead intact.

Kent State managed two runs with two outs in the top of the fifth to go ahead by a 4-0 margin. In the bottom half of the inning, Culumovic singled with one away while Mac Danford reached on a fielder’s choice and moved into scoring position on a passed ball. Unfortunately, the Golden Flashes once again escaped a potential UT Martin threat.

  1. Henry Hobson was summoned from the bullpen for the final two innings and started his appearance with a scoreless sixth.

Kent State scored two runs in the seventh but the Skyhawks kept battling. Andrew Fernandez (walk), Will Smith (single) and Culumovic (walk) all reached base off Cruikshank, forcing the Golden Flashes to go to their bullpen with the bases loaded and one out. However, Kent State was able to induce a game-ending double play.

Game 2

Things were tight through five innings but UT Martin could not overcome an early deficit.

Walton (1-2) threw up a zero on the scoreboard in the top of the first. Bell roped a double in the bottom half of the inning but the contest was scoreless through one frame.

The Golden Flashes managed five runs (four earned) in the top of the second but the Skyhawks got one run back in the bottom half. Self singled with two away and advanced to second base on a throwing error. McLean drove a 2-2 pitch for an RBI single to center to get UT Martin on the scoreboard. Rice singled through the left side to put a pair of runners aboard but Kent State got out of the jam with a 5-1 lead.

Walton cruised through the third, pitching through a scoreless frame in just 12 pitches. Bell posted his second hit of the night with a single in the third inning but the Skyhawks could not bring him around to score.

In the top of the fourth, Walton recorded two quick outs before throwing another zero on the scoreboard – ending the inning with a pickoff.

Another two-out rally was in store for UT Martin in the fourth. Cooke walked and McLean was hit by a pitch to put two men aboard the basepaths for Rice, who produced a single up the middle for an RBI that plated Cooke. With a pair of baserunners in scoring position, the Golden Flashes kept the score at 5-2 through four innings.

Walton was once again untouchable in the fifth, dialing up a pair of strikeouts and a popup to shortstop to retire the side in order.

Kent State then managed four runs (three unearned) in the top of the sixth. In the bottom half, Culumovic (walk) and McLean (single) safely reached base but the Skyhawk offense could not manufacture a run.

After an unearned run crossed the plate in the top of the seventh, UT Martin got back on the scoreboard in the bottom half. Hobson and Fernandez both drew walks to start off the inning and Hobson eventually came around to score.

The Golden Flashes scored twice in the eighth before Baylor Jones did not allow a hit in a shutout top of the ninth. However, the Skyhawks could not chip away any further.

 

The University of Tennessee at Martin baseball squad led for a majority of today’s contest against Kent State but the Golden Flashes scored six runs in their final three innings on the way to a 9-6 Skyhawk setback in 10 innings.

Jack Culumovic blasted a game-tying two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth to send the game into extra innings. However, Kent State (7-4) scored three runs in the top of the 10th and made that lead stand in the bottom half.

Batting out of the leadoff slot, Caleb Hobson went 3-for-5 with an RBI, a run scored and three stolen bases today – finishing just a home run shy of hitting for the cycle. Culumovic’s round tripper was his first of the 2023 campaign as his final stat line was 2-for-4 with two runs scored and two RBI’s. Andrew Fernandez went 2-for-4 with two RBI’s while Zac Rice also collected two hits and scored two runs for UT Martin, who falls to 3-9 overall.

Seth Petry delivered another good start for the Skyhawks, allowing three runs on just three hits while fanning four batters over 5.2 innings. Colin Millar (one run in 1.1 innings) and Campbell Cleveland (two unearned runs allowed in two frames) followed before Tucker Reed (0-2) managed three strikeouts in the top of the 10th inning.

Petry cruised through the first inning, retiring the side in order on nine pitches. Hobson ripped the sixth pitch he saw for a triple down the first base line and four pitches later, he came home to score on a Fernandez sacrifice fly to give UT Marin a 1-0 edge.

After the Golden Flashes tied the game with a run in the top of the second, Petry rolled to the tune of two strikeouts in the third – helping the Skyhawks reclaim the lead in the bottom half.

Rice jumped on the first pitch he saw of the afternoon for a double out to deep center, soon coming around to score on a Hobson RBI single through the right side to put UT Martin back on top by a 2-1 margin.

Kent State scored on a sacrifice fly in the fourth before Petry put up another zero on the scoreboard in the fifth.

The Skyhawks went back ahead in the bottom of the fifth as Rice was issued an eight-pitch walk and advanced to third on a Hobson double that landed just inside the right field line. Fernandez then came through with an RBI single to tilt the score back in favor of UT Martin at 3-2.

Petry departed the game in the top of the sixth in line for the win but the Golden Flashes tied the score with two outs in the inning.

Culumovic pulled a triple down the right field line to lead off the sixth and later crossed the plate on a wild pitch, allowing the Skyhawks to take a 4-3 advantage.

Millar was responsible for a scoreless seventh but once again, Kent State used a sacrifice fly to knot the score at 4-4 following eight innings of play.

After the Golden Flashes scored two unearned runs with two away in the top of the ninth, UT Martin evened the score with Culumovic’s clutch homer. Will Smith was hit by a pitch with one out before Culumovic launched a two-run blast beyond the wall in right field, tying the game at 6-all.

However, Kent State scored three runs in the top of the 10th and the Skyhawks could not recover. UT Martin brought the tying run to the dish but both runners were stranded, leaving the Skyhawks with seven men left on base over the final four innings.

UT Martin rounds out an eight-game homestand with a pair of midweek contests against Toledo. The Skyhawks will host the Rockets on Tuesday, March 7 and Wednesday, March 8 with both games slated to begin at 3 p.m.

 

Graphic courtesy of UT Martin Sports Information

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