Senior outfielder Aalia Bivens posted a career day for UTM, tallying a pair of home runs and a game-high seven RBIs to lift the Skyhawk softball team to a doubleheader sweep of Green Bay at Bettye Giles Field on Thursday afternoon.
The Skyhawks (6-5) had little trouble scoring runs on the afternoon, tallying 19 combined runs while picking up a pair of victories over Horizon League foe Green Bay by scores of 11-2 and 8-5.
UTM tallied 18 hits on the day with six different players notching multi-hit afternoons in the doubleheader. Sophomore Kaitlyn Kelly paced the team with four hits on the afternoon with a pair of doubles, a home run and four RBIs. Junior Paige Clark and sophomore Chelsey Gore both tallied three hits each while combining to drive in five RBIs. Bivens made the most of her two hits with home runs in both contests – including a grand slam in Game 2 which proved to be the game-winner.
The pitching staff was strong once again for the Skyhawks. Hannah Ridolfi (2-1) picked up a victory in Game 1, scattering two runs over four innings of work while Seeley Laybe pitched a scoreless inning. Erin Gallagher (3-2) settled down after a rough first inning to post a complete game with 10 strikeouts.
Game 10: UTM 11, Green Bay 2 (Five innings)
Green Bay (3-7) jumped out to an early lead in Game 1 as a ball dropped in no-man’s land in the first inning which resulted a 1-0 advantage for the Phoenix.
The lead would be short-lived however as a two-out walk by Clark was followed by a two-run home run to left field by Kelley to put the Skyhawks on the board. The home run marked the first conventional home run for the Skyhawks this season.
UTM added to its margin in the bottom of the third inning. A pair of lead off singles by Emily Alexander and Gore sparked the inning before Clark singled up the middle to make it a 3-1 contest. With two runners still on base, Bivens turned on a pitch and stroked a three-run home run off the left field scoreboard to give the home squad a 6-1 advantage.
After an error resulted in Green Bay recovering one run in the top of the fourth, UTM put the game away figuratively and literally in the bottom of the fourth. A single by Gore scored the first run of the fourth for the Skyhawks before Clark tallied her second RBI of the contest with a single to right field to score the team’s eighth run. A two-run double by Kelley pushed the margin out more until a costly error led to another run crossing the plate to give the Skyhawks the needed mercy-rule differential.
Game 11: UTM 8, Green Bay 5
Both teams posted big scoring frames in the first inning. Green Bay jumped on the board quickly behind a two-run home run by Rebecca Radtke before back-to-back hits by Randi McKay and Kalyssa Koehn gave the Phoenix a 4-0 lead heading into the bottom half of the inning.
The Skyhawks would waste little time responding in the bottom half of the inning. A full-count double down the left field line by Gore sparked the inning before a walk by Alexander put a pair of runners on base. Clark then put the Skyhawks on the board with a two-run double to left center followed by Kelley’s second double of the day to keep the carousel moving. The Skyhawks then eliminated the margin by scoring on a wild pitch before a sacrifice fly by Kallie Pickens tied the game at four.
After the first inning which saw eight combined runs cross the plate, neither team scored until Green Bay broke the tie in the top of the fifth. After hitting a home run earlier in the game, Radtke cranked a two-run double into the left field corner to give the Phoenix a 5-4 advantage.
The Skyhawks strung together their comeback attempt in the bottom of the sixth. A pair of singles by Kelley and Pickens led off the frame before a sacrifice bunt attempt resulted in a bases loaded situation with no outs. Having already cranked a big home run in the first contest of the day, Bivens stepped up to the plate and worked a full-count before crushing a grand slam over the left field wall to give the Skyhawks the needed 8-5 lead and ultimately the victory.
UTM will return to action when playing host to the Huddle House Classic on Saturday, Feb. 22 and Sunday, Feb. 23. The Skyhawks will play host to Purdue Fort Wayne and Wright State on both days with action beginning at 12:30 p.m.
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