By Alex Boggis, UT Martin Assistant Sports Information Director
MARTIN, Tenn. – The University of Tennessee at Martin softball team proved to be unwelcoming hosts on Friday afternoon as the Skyhawks tallied 21 runs to sweep today’s doubleheader against visiting Ohio Valley Conference foe Eastern Illinois by final scores of 6-3 and 15-3.
The Skyhawks (24-12, 9-4 OVC) made a habit of scoring early and often this afternoon, doing all of their damage in the first three innings of both contests. The home squad rattled off 22 hits on the day while each player in the lineup contributed to the team’s 19 RBIs. Plate discipline also proved to be a big factor in both contests as the Skyhawks drew 10 walks in the doubleheader – including seven in Game 2 alone.
Two players especially put on a show at the plate as both Shyanne Sheffield and Kaitlyn Kelley went 5-for-7 at the plate. Sheffield finished the day with two runs, a double, a home run and eight RBIs. Kelley added five runs, a double and a RBI in her eight plate appearances.
When everything was said and done, seven of nine Skyhawk starters tallied at least two hits in the twinbill. Along with the five-hit outings by Sheffield and Kelley, Kaci Fuller continued her impressive campaign by going 3-for-6 at the plate with a double, a RBI and a stolen base while pushing her on-base streak out to nine games.
Four different pitchers contributed to the two wins in the circle. Erin Gallagher (8-2, 1.77 ERA) pushed her winning streak to three games after earning the start in Game 1 and going 5.2 innings, allowing three runs while striking out two. Katie Dreiling appeared in relief and picked up a four-out save – her second of the season – after striking out four of five batters she faced. Game 2 saw Alexis Groet (9-6, 2.29 ERA) toe the rubber and pitch four innings before being relieved by Seeley Layne with the game well in control.
Game 35: UT Martin 6, Eastern Illinois 3
The series opened with the Skyhawks jumping out to an early lead as Fuller jump started the offense by using her speed to key the offense. Fuller singled to the shortstop out of the two-hole before moving into scoring position with her fifth steal of the season. Following consecutive walks to Kelley and Dreiling to load the bases, Sheffield laced a single up the middle to score a pair and take an early 2-0 advantage.
The Panthers quickly responded in the top of the second inning as the OVC’s top home run hitting squad launched a solo blast off the bat of Lindy Milkowski to cut the deficit in half.
UT Martin broke the game open in the bottom of the third inning with five runs to find separation. Three consecutive singles by Fuller, Kelley and Dreiling resulted in one run crossing the plate before a sacrifice bunt by Pickens moved a pair of runners into scoring position for Sheffield once again. After coming through with a big scoring opportunity in the first inning, Sheffield found that clutch hit once again in the third, this time with a three-run home run scorched over the left center wall to push the home team’s lead out to 6-1.
Eastern Illinois used the long ball to trim the margin again, this time in the top of the fifth inning. After a one-out walk to Hannah Cravens, Megan Burton jumped on the first pitch she saw and brought the score to 6-3 with a two-run homer to left field.
The Panthers tallied three more hits in the contest but their comeback attempt would stall there however as Dreiling later entered and shut the door with four strikeouts against the heart of the order to save the 6-3 win.
Game 36: UT Martin 15, Eastern Illinois 3
Much like in the first game of the doubleheader, the Skyhawks jumped on the Panthers early with five runs on two hits and a pair of miscues in the first inning. The first six batters of the inning reached base to start the half inning with the first two runs of the game coming home on a batted ball by Dreiling which resulted in an RBI and an error before a wild pitch on the next at bat scored the team’s third run. Following a walk to Pickens to put runners on first and third, Sheffield laced a double down the left field line to drive in a run before a sacrifice fly by Avry Blume plated the team’s fifth run.
Facing an early hole, Eastern Illinois looked to trim the deficit in the top of the second inning. An infield single by Kendall Fields was followed by a sacrifice bunt to move her into scoring position. With two outs on the board, Riley Dittmar single to right field to drive in the run and put the Panthers in the run column.
The Skyhawks continued their offensive onslaught in the second inning with 10 runs to put the game away early. UT Martin sent 15 batters to the plate in the inning while tallying seven hits and drawing four walks – including three in a row by Emily Gilstrap, Clark and Fuller with the bases loaded to tally RBIs. In total, Sheffield would tally two RBI singles in the inning while all nine players drove in a run in the second inning to hold an impressive 15-1 advantage.
The game’s score would remain the same until the Panthers added two run to their total in the top of the fifth inning on back-to-back RBIs by Cravens and Burton down the stretch.
MARTIN, Tenn. – The University of Tennessee at Martin softball team put the finishing touches on a series sweep of visiting Ohio Valley Conference foe Eastern Illinois on Saturday afternoon as the squad jumped out to an early advantage and never looked back on the way to a 5-2 victory.
The Skyhawks (25-12, 10-4 OVC) picked up their sixth straight win behind a balanced hitting approach at the plate and strong pitching performances from three individuals. After exploding for 21 combined runs in yesterday’s doubleheader, UT Martin continued their strong weekend by scratching out eight hits on the afternoon and drawing three walks to set up the squad’s five RBIs.
Junior Shyanne Sheffield picked up where she left off after a stellar performance on Friday and added two more hits to her weekend total while driving in a pair of runs. For the series, Sheffield feasted on the Panthers by posting a .700 (7-of-10) batting average while tallying three runs scored, two doubles, a home run and 10 RBIs. Sophomore Kaci Fuller also enjoyed a nice weekend as she brought her series total up to five hits after going 2-for-4 in the contest – including a solo home run in the top of the first inning.
Three different pitchers played a critical role in today’s series finale. While the entire staff was under a batter limit, Erin Gallagher (9-2) earned the start and picked up the win after pitching impressively in three innings where she struck out three and allowed one earned run. Katie Dreiling pitched the middle innings in relief and did so formidably, allowing one run over 3.1 innings of work. Then in the top of the seventh with the Panthers sniffing a rally, Alexis Groet earned her first save of the season after inducing a game-ending double play.
Today’s action followed a similar script as both games yesterday. UT Martin jumped on the board first with two runs in the opening inning as Fuller power slapped an opposite field solo shot over the left field corner on the first pitch she saw before Sheffield left her mark on the Panthers once again with an RBI double to give the Skyhawks a quick 2-0 advantage.
The scoring continued for both teams in the third inning as Eastern Illinois got on the board via a solo home run by Macey McElravy to left center to cut the margin in half.
UT Martin quickly responded in the bottom half of the inning by getting that run back and then some. Fuller led off the inning with a single up the middle before a walk by Dreiling put runners on first and second with one out. In stepped Sheffield to the plate on the following at-bat who then laced a two-strike single through the left side to bring Fuller around to score. With the margin back to two runs, the Skyhawks later found themselves with runners on second and third before Kallie Pickens singled to left center to clear the bags and bring the contest to a 5-1 score.
The margin remained the same until the top of the seventh inning when the Panthers attempted one final comeback attempt as the visitor’s starting pitcher Rachel Kaufman hit a solo home run to left field to cut the deficit to three runs. After a hit by pitch forced a pitching change for the Skyhawks, Groet entered the contest with a save opportunity and clinched the series with a 6-4-3 double play to end the game.
UT Martin will take a brief break from league action with a non-conference matchup against Mississippi State at Henderson County Sportsplex in Lexington, Tenn. on Wednesday, Apr. 20. First pitch is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.
Graphic courtesy of UT Martin Sports Information