MURFREESBORO, Tenn.- The University of Tennessee at Martin baseball team collected five extra base hits – three of which went for home runs – but fell 13-12 in extra innings at Middle Tennessee.
Garner Anderson had a career day, going 3-for-5 with a career-best five RBI, including a two-out grand slam in the sixth. Jalen Fithian (triple, double, RBI), Jonah Katsaboulas (two hits, two RBI), TJ Grines (two runs scored, walk, three stolen bases), Brody Capps (two hits, two-run homer, walk), Arderrius Townsend (solo home run, three runs scored, two walks), Blaze Bell (RBI) and Frank Micallef (two runs scored, walk, stolen base) each contributed to the offensive attack.
Brandon King started the game on the mound for the Skyhawks (3-5), going 2.2 innings. Jeb Bartle (4.1 innings pitched, four strikeouts), Kaleb Baskin (two innings pitched, two strikeouts) and JP Nunn (0-1) saw time out of the bullpen.
Grines reached on an error in the first inning that led to Capps hitting a two-out, two-run round tripper which allowed UT Martin to pull ahead. One unearned run came across in the home half of the frame from Middle Tennessee (6-3) and the score sat 2-1 heading into the second.
The Skyhawks put up four runs in their next at-bat, starting with a Townsend opposite field home run. Fithian doubled and Katsaboulas brought home two on a single that stretched the UT Martin edge to five. The Blue Raiders had another answer, pulling within two before the Skyhawks could get out of the second.
Middle Tennessee tied things up in the third after a pair of solo homers. Bartle took care of the final out of the third and then fired off scoreless frames in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings to keep the score knotted up.
One out away from the seventh inning stretch, Bell delivered with an RBI single that scored Grines and moved Townsend to third. Micallef was then hit by a pitch to bring Anderson to the plate with the bases loaded. The Martin, Tenn. native drilled a ball to the opposite field for his first career grand slam, giving UT Martin an 11-6 lead.
Middle Tennessee scored once in the seventh and then posted five runs in the eighth to take a 12-11 lead. Down to their final out, the Skyhawks were kept alive by Anderson, who laced a single up the middle to score Townsend and tie the game at 12-all.
Baskin sat down Middle Tennessee in order during the bottom of the ninth to send the game to extra innings. UT Martin placed two runners on base with two down in the top of the 10th but failed to bring in the leading run. The Blue Raiders capitalized and hit a walk-off home run to take Game 1 of the round-robin weekend.
The Skyhawks will take on Old Dominion for the first time in program history tomorrow at noon.