By Alex Boggis, UT Martin Assistant Sports Information Director
LEXINGTON, Tenn. – The University of Tennessee at Martin softball team pushed Southeastern Conference foe Mississippi State to the brink in front of a large, neutral site local audience at Henderson County SportsPlex this evening before ultimately seeing its comeback attempt fall just short in a final 3-2 decision.
After falling behind by three runs in the third inning, the Skyhawks (25-13) scored runs in back-to-back innings midway through the contest to cut the deficit to just one run. With a narrow margin left in front of them, the Skyhawks kept looking for the game-tying run but the Bulldogs turned a key double play in the sixth inning before shutting the door in the seventh for the victory.
Three different players tallied base hits for the Skyhawks with reigning OVC Player of the Week Shyanne Sheffield joining Kaitlyn Kelley and Maddi Long in the hit column. Kelley tallied her 28th RBI of the season in the fourth inning before Long connected on her third home run of the year to make it a 3-2 contest in the fifth.
UT Martin used three pitchers to carry the workload in the midweek contest. Katie Dreiling earned the her second start of the season in the circle, going 2.1 innings while striking out four and allowing two runs. Erin Gallagher appeared first in relief and went 2.2 innings while striking out two and allowing one run. Finally, Alexis Groet was called upon to pitch the bottom of the sixth and tossed a scoreless inning.
Mississippi State (28-17) lumped all of its damage into the third inning with three runs in the frame. Following a one-out single by Mia Davidson, Chloe Malau’ulu drove a two-run home run to centerfield for the game’s first runs. Then following a pitching change, the Bulldogs tallied their second home run in as many at bats as Paige Cook hit a solo shot to center to take a 3-0 advantage.
The Skyhawks looked to counter the big inning by the home team on the scoreboard in the fourth inning. The first two batters would reach via a hit by pitch and a single to third by Sheffield. After a failed sacrifice bunt attempt resulted in the lead runner being forced out on the play, Kelley salvaged the scoring opportunity by doubling to right center to end the shutout.
The fifth inning saw Long turn on a 2-2 pitch and launch it over the left field wall for a solo home run – cutting the deficit to one run. The home run marked the team’s 31st of the season and the sixth of Long’s career.
While the Skyhawks had two more innings to find the game-tying run, their best opportunity came in the sixth inning. The offense would string together a 10-pitch battle at the leadoff spot in the frame before it ultimately resulted in a strikeout while the team’s next base runner was retired in a 6-4-3 double play to end the potential rally.
UT Martin will now shift its focus back to OVC play this weekend with a slightly altered schedule. The Skyhawks will travel to SIUE on Friday, Apr. 22 for a single contest to kick off the three-game series at 4 p.m. before playing a doubleheader on Saturday, Apr. 23 beginning at noon. All three games are tentatively scheduled to be broadcast on ESPN+.
Graphic courtesy of UT Martin Sports Information