The UTM softball team played host to Murray State in a doubleheader for the final two games of its three-game Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) opening series on Saturday afternoon and dropped both ends of the twin bill by scores of 3-0 and 10-3 at Bettye Giles Field.
After tallying 10 runs in the home opener on Friday afternoon, the Skyhawks (7-4, 1-2 OVC) scratched out just three runs over 14 innings on Saturday despite tallying 16 hits on the day. Sophomore Shyanne Sheffield paced the team with five hits on the day – including a triple – while swiping a pair of bases. Freshman Kaci Fuller notched three hits and a pair of doubles on the final day of the series while Chelsey Gore and Paige Clark also recorded multiple base hits.
While the Skyhawks were able to tally 16 hits and draw three walks, it was the team’s ability to drive in their base runners which proved to be the issue with 15 runners left on base.
The pitching staff had a rough afternoon except for newcomer Alexis Groet who pitched 4.1 innings of scoreless relief, allowing one hit while striking out five. Erin Gallagher (2-2, 4.48 ERA) started Game 1 and went the distance, striking out six and allowing three earned runs in seven innings of action. Hannah Ridolfi (3-1, 2.95 ERA) started in Game 2, allowing four earned runs in 2.2 innings while Seeley Layne faced three batters and allowed two earned runs.
Game 1: Murray State 3, UT Martin 0
Murray State wasted very little time getting its offensive day started in the first game of the day as the leadoff hitter Logan Braundmeier launched a solo home run to left field to put the Racers on the board on a 2-2 count.
The score would remain the same until the top of the seventh inning when Braundmeier jump-started the inning again by first drawing a walk before swiping second and then advancing to third on a throwing error. Just 60 feet from home, she later scored on a sacrifice fly by Jensen Striegel. The Racers added one more run in the inning as back-to-back doubles by Lily Fischer and Sierra Gilmore made it a 3-0 contest.
After a couple of scoring threats in the earlier innings, the Skyhawks posed one final comeback attempt in the seventh inning. A walk by Gracie Lusk was followed by a double from Fuller to move the pair into scoring position with one out. The Skyhawks would send two more batters to the plate but could not get the game-tying run home.
Game 2: Murray State 10, UTM 3
Much like in the first game of the afternoon, Murray State jumped out in front in the first – this time on an RBI single up the middle by Lindsey Carroll to take a 1-0 advantage.
The Skyhawks then got their first run of the day on the board in the bottom of the second as Maddi Long tallied a one-out single to left field. Her time on base would be limited as Kallie Pickens doubled to center field and Long later came around to score on an outfield error to tie the game.
The tied contest was short-lived as Murray State exploded for nine runs in the top of the third inning. The Racers would find RBIs from Gilmore, Carroll, Lexi Jones and Fischer in the frame to blow the game open and take a 10-1 lead.
UTM looked to try to chip away in the bottom half of the inning as Sheffield led off the inning with a triple to centerfield before coming home on the next at bat via a wild pitch.
The Skyhawks added one more run in the bottom of the fifth inning as Fuller dumped an RBI double into no-man land in left-center to score Sheffield all the way from second and bring the score to 10-3 – the game’s final score.
UTM will take a break from OVC play with a mid-week doubleheader at Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Tuesday, March 9.
