By Ryne Rickman, UT Martin Sports Information Director
CARBONDALE, Ill. – The University of Tennessee at Martin baseball team was two outs away from a victory this evening but Southern Illinois forced extra innings before plating an unearned run in the bottom of the 10th in a 6-5 Skyhawk setback.
UT Martin took a lead in the top of the fifth and held on to its advantage until the Salukis scored once in the ninth. With one out and two baserunners aboard in the bottom of the 10th, a throwing error off a fielder’s choice groundball resulted in Southern Illinois’ fifth consecutive win.
At the plate this evening, Blaze Bell (one RBI), Hunter McLean (two runs scored) and Mac Danford (one RBI, one run scored) each produced multi-hit outings. Nate Self and Caleb Hobson each drove in runs while Andrew Fernandez and Will Smith both crossed the plate for the Skyhawks (7-19).
Six hurlers saw time on the hill for UT Martin tonight. Zach Wager made the start and tossed two innings before reaching his allotted pitch count. Campbell Cleveland, Tucker Reed and J. Henry Hobson each threw two innings of relief while Colin Millar and Eli Martin (0-1) did not allow an earned run in their appearances.
The Skyhawks struck first as Smith laced a two-out triple in the top of the first and scored five pitches later after Bell singled him home.
Wager pitched around a leadoff double to put a zero on the scoreboard in the first inning before the Salukis (13-12) tied the game at 1-all after two innings, despite a pair of strikeouts from Wager in his final frame.
Southern Illinois briefly led after scoring once in the bottom of the third but UT Martin got the run back in its next turn up to the dish. McLean rifled a two-out triple into the gap in right center before jogging home on a Self RBI double that tied the score at 2-2.
Cleveland posted a scoreless inning in the fourth, allowing the Skyhawks to go ahead in the top of the fifth. Danford led the inning off with a single before advancing all the way to third base on an error from a failed pickoff attempt. Caleb Hobson lifted a sacrifice fly to put UT Martin ahead 3-2 but the Skyhawks weren’t finished. Fernandez reached on a three-base error and soon scored on a wild pitch to pad UT Martin’s advantage to two runs.
The Salukis scored on a sacrifice fly in the fifth but the Skyhawks once again answered right back with a run in the sixth. Danford went the opposite way for a single to right field to plate McLean, who reached on a wild pitch on a swinging third strike.
After Southern Illinois tallied a run in the sixth to make the score 5-4, the scoring halted for the next two-and-a-half innings. Millar worked his way around a scoreless seventh, getting a called strikeout for the final out to strand a pair of Salukis on the basepaths. J. Henry Hobson then accounted for a scoreless eighth inning as UT Martin was three outs away from the win.
A one-out RBI double by Southern Illinois in the bottom of the ninth sent the game into extra innings. The Skyhawks put a runner in scoring position in the top of the 10th as McLean singled and stole second base but the Salukis escaped a tight jam.
Southern Illinois led off the 10th with a walk and soon executed a sacrifice bunt. Following an intentional walk, the aforementioned defensive miscue – UT Martin’s first error of the night – gave the Salukis the win.
The Skyhawks return home for another Ohio Valley Conference series this weekend, squaring off against SIUE for a three-game set. First pitch times are scheduled for 5 p.m. on Friday, March 31, 3 p.m. on Saturday, April 1 and 1 p.m. on Sunday, April 2.
Graphic courtesy of UT Martin Sports Information