Freshman catcher Maddi Long had a career day both in the batters box and crouched behind the plate, hitting two home runs and calling a shutout as the UTM softball team picked up an Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) series clinching shutout victory over Morehead State by a score of 7-0 on Sunday afternoon.
The Skyhawks (22-12, 11-9 OVC) picked up where they left off offensively the night before, tallying 13 hits in the contest while scoring seven runs against the Eagles. A total of four different players tallied multi-hit outings led by Long, Paige Clark, Kaitlyn Kelley and Emily Gilstrap with two hits each. Long paced the team with two home runs and four RBIs while Aalia Bivens also record a two-RBI double.
The pitching staff combined to pitch a shutout while limiting Morehead State to six hits in the contest. Alexis Groet earned the start but pitched just two innings while allowing three hits and issuing two walks. Erin Gallagher appeared in relief and was impressive en route to her fifth victory of the season, pitching five shutout innings while scattering three hits and two strikeouts.
The Skyhawks jumped out with two runs in the bottom of the first inning. Back-to-back singles by Shyanne Sheffield and Kelley started the rally for the home squad before Bivens poked a double into right field to clear the bases and take an early advantage.
They added another run in the bottom of the second inning to take a three-run lead. Gilstrap singled through the left side to lead off the inning before advancing to second on a groundout. Once in scoring position, she later came around to score on a single by Bryleigh Carneal and a throwing error by the first baseman.
UTM continued its offensive onslaught in the third inning behind the big bat of Long. A leadoff walk to Bivens spelled trouble as two batters later Long crushed her first home run of the day off the scoreboard in left field for her second home run of the season to give the Skyhawks a 5-0 advantage.
The slugging catcher had another big blast in the fifth inning to highlight her career day. A leadoff single by Clark started the frame before she moved into scoring position with a stolen base. After motoring into second, she simply had to trot home as Long blasted her second home run of the game and third of the season – this time over the left field scoreboard to put the home team up 7-0 and cap the afternoon’s scoring output.
UTM will return to action on Wednesday, Apr. 21 when traveling to Southeastern Conference opponent Ole Miss. First pitch is scheduled for 5 p.m. and will be broadcast on SEC Network+.
