Freshman Will Smith was responsible for a career-high three hits out of the leadoff spot for the UTM baseball team this afternoon but the Southern Illinois Salukis stayed hot in an 8-3 Skyhawk setback.
One day after launching the first home run of his budding UTM career, Smith went 3-for-4 with an RBI for his second multi-hit game of the season. Houston Wright was 2-for-4 with his team-best third home run of the 2021 campaign today, scoring two of the Skyhawks’ three runs. Casey Harford scored the other run for UTM, who is now 3-6 on the season.
Eric Steensma (0-1) drew the start on the mound this afternoon, allowing five runs while fanning four Salukis over 4.1 innings of work. Ryan Insco pitched a clean eighth inning while David Hussey (two runs, three strikeouts in 1.2 innings) and Nick Wohlbold (one run, one strikeout in one inning) also took the hill for the Skyhawks.
Steensma needed only 13 pitches to retire Southern Illinois in order in the bottom of the first inning. Following a leadoff walk in the second, the righty from Western Springs, Illinois dialed up three consecutive strikeouts – all swinging – to keep the game scoreless through two frames.
UTM had back-to-back two-out singles out of Smith and Blake Daniels in the top of the third but could not strike first on the scoreboard.
The Salukis (11-0) recorded three runs in the bottom of the third but Steensma recovered nicely in the fourth – working around a harmless one-out single to keep the score at 3-0.
In the top of the fifth, Wright led things off with a single and soon advanced to second base on a sacrifice bunt off the bat of Blake Davis. Noah Thigpen followed with a single to put baserunners on the corners before Smith lifted a sacrifice fly out to right field, plating Wright and whittling the Skyhawk deficit to two runs.
Southern Illinois collected four runs in the bottom half of the frame but Hussey silenced the Saluki offense in the sixth, making short work of the lineup in his final inning.
Wright added on to his big day in the seventh, pulverizing a 1-0 pitch for a solo shot out to right field to make the score 7-2.
The Salukis scored on a wild pitch in the bottom of the frame but the UTM bats weren’t finished. Casey Harford doubled with two away and came in to score on a Christian Hall RBI single. Will LaFollette then singled to put a pair of Skyhawks on the basepaths but Southern Illinois limited the damage.
Insco pitched a 1-2-3 inning in the eighth, compiling his second scoreless appearance of the young 2021 campaign in the process.
In the top of the ninth, UTM loaded the bases to bring the tying run to the on-deck circle. Jack Culumovic entered the contest as a pinch-hitter and reached on an error. Smith then singled and Daniels walked to start a potential rally. However, Southern Illinois escaped with the win one pitch later.
The Skyhawks have added a midweek game this week against North Alabama. UTM pays a visit to Florence, Alabama, to take on the Lions on Tuesday, March 9 at 4 p.m.
