The UTM softball team played two games which began on Saturday before ultimately bleeding over into the wee hours of Sunday morning on the second day of the Southeastern Louisiana Lion Classic to earn a split.
The Skyhawks (2-2) played their first contest of the day at noon and picked up their second consecutive shutout of Alabama State with a 6-0 victory. UTM then returned to the field with a contest which started after 9 p.m. and finished minutes after midnight before ultimately falling 6-5 in the ninth inning.
UTM tallied 14 hits on the day led by the play of centerfielder Shyanne Sheffield who tallied three base knocks, including a rare three-run inside the park home run against Southeastern Louisiana. Meanwhile, the trio of Chelsey Gore, Kaitlyn Kelley and Paige Clark each tallied a pair of base hits while the sophomore pair of Chayse Skinner and Kenna Garst drove in two RBIs.
The Skyhawks pitching staff was daunting all day. The trio of Hannah Ridolfi, Erin Gallagher and Seeley Layne pitched 15.2 innings while allowing just one earned run. The group posted an opponent batting average of .167 while combining to strike out 17 opponents and pitch one shutout.
Game 3: UTM 6, Alabama State 0
Much like yesterday’s matchup against Alabama State, it took a couple innings but UTM would strike with a fury in the middle innings and never look back on its way to a shutout victory. A single sandwiched between a pair of walks loaded the bases for the Skyhawks with no outs before the game’s first run came home on a wild pitch to score Aalia Bivens. With a pair of runners still in scoring position, Garst scored one with a RBI single to right before Skinner tallied the second RBI of the inning with a well-placed sacrifice bunt. The fourth run would cross the plate for the Skyhawks as Clark singled into center to push out the game’s margin.
UTM would add to their margin to give the visitors on the scoreboard a 5-0 lead after Garst lofted a sacrifice fly to right field scoring Sheffield from third. The Skyhawks would add another run in the top of the seventh for additional insurance as freshman Maddi Long tallied a single to right which resulted in an error to score Kallie Pickens from second.
While the Skyhawk offense gave the defense six runs, the pitching duo of Erin Gallagher (1-1) and Seeley Layne would need just one run to secure the victory. Gallagher earned her first win of the season by pitching four scoreless innings before Layne pitched three perfect three innings to close out the contest with five strikeouts.
Game 4: Southeastern Louisiana 6, UT Martin 5 (9 innings)
With the long tournament schedule delaying the evening’s start time, the Skyhawks saw its 6 p.m. start time pushed back over three hours later into the twilight. Squared off against the tournament host Southeastern Louisiana, the Lions struck first in the second inning. A leadoff single started the inning before a throwing error and a wild pitch resulted in the first run of the contest.
UTM struck back in the fourth to take its first lead of the contest on an exciting play. A pair of singles by Gore and Kelley led off the inning before a sacrifice bunt moved the pair into scoring position. With runners at second and third, Sheffield laced an opposite field shot into the left field corner and circled the bases for an inside the park three-run home run – the first of her career.
The margin would remain at two runs until the bottom of the fifth. The Lions used a hit-by-pitch and an ensuing walk to plague the Skyhawks. UTM would find a pair of groundouts to nearly escape the inning but a throwing error on the would-be third out of the innings resulted in both runners scoring to tie the contest at 3-3.
The contest would go to extra innings with the final decision coming after midnight. With the international tie-breaker enacted, both teams would score runs in the eighth inning. As the runner was placed on second to begin the inning, Skinner dumped a single between the fielders on the right side to score Gabbie Campbell and give the Skyhawks a brief lead. SELA would respond with a run of their own in the bottom half of the inning with a RBI ground out.
A similar set of events occurred in the ninth inning as the Skyhawks capitalized on a fielding error to score Kelley in the top half of the inning. The Lions answered again with a sneaky steal of third before coming home on a single by Aeriyl Mass to tie the game up once for the third time. The tie would be short-lived to the despair of the Skyhawks as Madisen Blackford singled through the right side for the walk-off single.
UTM will close out its tournament appearance with its fifth and final game of the SELA Lion Classic against Grambling State on Sunday, Feb. 9 at noon.
Photo Credit / Sports Information
