The Skyhawk baseball team duked it out with OVC opponent and in-state rival Austin Peay this past weekend, April 20-21.
The Skyhawks and Governors had a doubleheader on Saturday and a game Sunday that would prove to be the tie-breaker.
Unfortunately for UTM, Sunday’s tie-breaker went in Austin Peay’s favor, dropping the Skyhawks OVC record to 5-13.
Not all was lost this weekend though, as the Skyhawks took game one by a score of 6-3.
Austin Peay took the initial lead in the second inning after a catcher Alex Sala that would allow infielder/outfielder Parker Phillips to score an unearned run.
The Skyhawks responded quickly in the bottom of the second. Freshman infielder Tyson Cox hit a single through the right side, creating a chance for senior outfielder Creighton Eldridge to score an unearned run, tying the game 1-1.
After an uneventful fourth inning, the Skyhawks’ bats came alive and gave UTM a solid 5-1 lead over the Governors.
Junior outfielder Sean Dixson opened the door for UTM’s offense in the second, hitting a single that would send freshman infielder Hayden Cooper home and advance Cox to second base.
Senior outfielder Jordan Stoner followed up Dixson’s single with his own, sending Cox home and Dickson to second. Sophomore infielder Casey Harford sent Dickson home with a single shortly after to give UTM a 4-1 lead.
Sophomore catcher Blake Davis hit another single to Austin Peay’s shortstop who errored on a throw. Harford was out at third but Stoner managed to score unearned, giving UTM a 5-1 lead to exit the inning.
Eldridge built on UTM’s lead in the fifth inning, giving the Skyhawks a 6-1 lead over the Governors.
A pair of walks in the top of the seventh cut UTM’s lead down to 6-3, but the Skyhawks held on to clinch the first game.
Eldridge led the team in runs at two and Stoner and Harford tied for the team lead in hits at three.
Senior pitcher Austen Bullington, who pitched 6.2 innings and struck out five batters, picked up his second win of the season, improving to 2-6 on the year.
In game two, the Skyhawks would be the ones to get on the scoreboard first. A throwing error by the shortstop allowed sophomore infielder Blake Daniels and Cooper to score unearned runs in the bottom of the second.
A silent third period was followed by a double by Austin Peay’s Phillips that would send outfielder Garrett Spain home to cut UTM’s lead down to 2-1.
Eldridge responded in the next inning, knocking a triple out to right center field and getting Harford home. Cox cranked a homer in the following inning to put the Skyhawks up 4-1 going into the seventh inning.
The top of the seventh proved to be the back-breaker for the Skyhawks. The Governors opened up the offense thanks to a home run by Phillips. A single by infielder Matt Joslin would result in a game-tying two RBI’s.
Joslin got his chance to run home after a single by his teammate infielder Malcolm Tipler. This put the Governors up 5-4.
UTM failed to generate any more offense in the following innings, dropping game two of the series.
Junior pitcher Sam Folks, who allowed five runs against eight strikeouts in six innings pitched, was credited with the loss, dropping to 3-5.
Game three saw both the Skyhawks and the Governors light up the scoreboard, as both teams combined for 33 runs after all was said and done.
The Governors started off scoring once in the opening inning, but the Skyhawks countered with a grand slam by Harford that gave UTM an early 4-1 lead.
The lead, however, would be short-lived. A single and walk would cut UTM’s lead down to 4-3. Shortly after, the Governors hit a grand slam of their own to gain the advantage and put themselves ahead 7-4 thanks to Phillips.
The Skyhawk’s offensive production didn’t let up, however, and Dixson and Daniels recorded RBI’s in the bottom of the second to put the Skyhawks within a one-point striking distance of the Governors.
Phillips kept up his offensive output and knocked a two-run homer in the third. Joslin and Tipler followed up with singles in the fourth to give Austin Peay an 11-6 lead.
Harford, in an attempt to rival Phillips, hit a two-run homer of his own in the bottom of the fourth.
At the end of the game, both Harford and Phillips proved to be the offensive catalysts for their respective teams. Harford and Phillips both tallied six RBI’s and three runs each.
Phillips’ team came out on top though, defeating the Skyhawks 22-11.
Despite the loss, the Skyhawks didn’t go down without a fight, as Davis accounted for the last run of the game, a home run in the bottom of the seventh.
A total of 13 pitchers took the mound in game three, with the Skyhawks bringing out six of their own. Junior pitcher Winston Cannon, who pitched the most innings out of the six, was credited with the loss, allowing seven runs against two strikeouts across two innings.
Following the series, UTM sits 11th in the OVC behind Tennessee Tech (5-13 OVC, 17-21 overall). Baseball action resumes at 6 p.m., April 24 in Martin.
Statistics used are from UTM Sports Information.
