The Skyhawk softball team finished a successful trip to Nashville over the weekend, going 3-1 in four games against OVC opponents Belmont on March 23 and Tennessee State University (TSU) on March 24.
The Skyhawks went to Nashville to open OVC play following a decisive 9-1 victory over the University of Evansville on March 21 and a perfect 5-0 stretch during the Skyhawk Hampton Inn Classic (March 15-17).
First up on UTM’s radar were the Belmont Bruins, who soundly defeated the Skyhawks in the first game of the double-header.
The Skyhawks were kept scoreless in a 7-0 loss. Batting was tough for UTM, with five players failing to register any hits at their at-bats.
Sophomore outfielder Paige Clark (3) and junior outfielder Aalia Bivens (2) led the team in hits but weren’t able to produce any points themselves.
Junior pitcher Hannah Ridolfi (4-4), was credited with the loss, allowing three runs in 1.1 innings.
The Skyhawks would not let this loss go unanswered, however, and came back with a vengeance in game two of the double-header.
UTM struck first in the second game, thanks to a single and RBI by senior infielder Gracyn McBride in the first inning.
Belmont responded in the second inning with an RBI scored by infielder Bailey Sims.
In the third inning, Bivens hit a single up the middle, allowing McBride to advance and freshman outfielder Kenna Garst to bring it home and once again give UTM the lead. Freshman infielder Kallie Pickens walked on during her at-bat to allow McBride to add another point to UTM’s growing lead.
Pickens would go on to score one more time in the sixth inning, giving UTM a solid 4-1 lead over the Bruins.
The seventh inning would prove uneventful, with no runs being scored. UTM would go on to leave Belmont with a 1-1 series split and overall OVC record.
Freshman pitcher Erin Gallagher, who was credited with the win, improved her record to 5-1 following game two. She allowed only one run in seven innings pitched.
The Skyhawks met the Tigers the next day in another double-header, taking both games against TSU.
Ridolfi, who pitched alongside
UTM set the tone early, scoring three times in the first inning, and once in the fourth and fifth innings, building a 5-0 lead. TSU would respond with two runs across the fifth and sixth inning but were held scoreless the rest of the game.
McBride led the Skyhawks in RBI’s with two, tallied one run and went 2-4 at-bat.
UTM took the first game against TSU by a score of 6-2.
UTM’s pitching got even better in the second game. Sophomore pitcher Caitlin Karo had a phenomenal game, allowing only four hits and zero runs through all seven innings.
Other notable performances include senior infielder Alli Fulcher, who led the team in RBI’s with two, and Clark, who led the team in runs with two.
The Skyhawks now sit 3-1 in OVC play and 21-11 overall. UTM will take a brief break from OVC play on March 27 when they travel to Carbondale, Illinois to play Southern Illinois.
Afterwards, the Skyhawks will be put to the test when they face OVC foes Eastern Kentucky and Morehead State in Martin on March 29 and 31, respectively.
Statistics used are from UTM Sports Information.
