By Ryne Rickman, UT Martin Sports Information Director
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – The University of Tennessee at Martin baseball team belted four home runs on the way to a season-high 17 runs at in-state rival Austin Peay but ultimately it wasn’t enough as the Governors won 18-17 on a walkoff at Raymond C. Hand Park.
Hunter McLean set career-highs in hits (four) and RBI’s (five) while Andrew Fernandez tallied three hits to go along with career-highs of five RBI’s and four runs scored for the Skyhawks, who are now 9-21 overall. McLean, Fernandez, Jack Culumovic (four RBI’s) and Nate Self each connected for homers while Caleb Hobson (three runs scored, two stolen bases) and Mac Danford (three runs scored) also helped lead UT Martin offensively.
It was a staff day for the Skyhawks as eight pitchers saw time on the mound. Tristan Walton and Campbell Cleveland each posted efficient scoreless outings while Eli Martin also tossed a career-high three innings out of the bullpen for UT Martin.
The Skyhawks scored the first 11 runs of the game, starting with three in the top of the first. Hobson singled through the left side on the first pitch of the game and advanced to second on a Fernandez single. Both players came in to score on an error before Danford crossed the plate on a Culumovic RBI single to stake UT Martin to an early 3-0 advantage.
Walton received the starting nod today and displayed a crisp arsenal, piling up a pair of strikeouts in his only inning of work.
Hobson’s wheels led to another run in the top of the second. The speedster from Pontotoc, Miss. drew a one-out walk and quickly stole second base before scampering to third on a wild pitch. Fernandez then lifted a sacrifice fly to give the Skyhawks a 4-0 lead.
Cleveland made his appearance in the bottom of the second and kept the Governors off the scoreboard.
UT Martin sent 13 batters to the plate during a seven-run top of the third. Danford reached on an error before McLean creamed a 3-1 offering for a two-run blast. Four pitches later, Self jumped on the first pitch he saw for a homer, his third longball of the spring. Cameron Brady and Jonah Wichman followed with walks before Hobson reached on a fielder’s choice to load the bases for Fernandez, who smacked a grand slam just inside the right field foul pole to make the score 11-0 in favor of the Skyhawks.
A pair of errors in the bottom of the third resulted in four runs (two unearned) for the Governors (13-16). Austin Peay added four runs in the fourth, four runs in the fifth and one run in the fifth to take a 13-11 lead.
Martin put up a scoreless frame in the bottom of the seventh, which allowed UT Martin to take the lead with four runs in the top of the eighth.
Fernandez was issued a free pass and advanced to second on a wild pitch before moving up to third base on a deep fly ball off the bat of Will Smith. Danford drew a four-pitch walk to put runners on the corners for Wichman, who generated an RBI single down the third base line to shave the Skyhawk deficit to one run. Culumovic – who launched a crucial grand slam in Sunday’s win over SIUE – then went deep for the second straight contest, mauling a 1-1 pitch for a go-ahead three-run homer to nudge UT Martin on top by a 15-13 margin.
The Governors scored four runs in the bottom of the eighth but the Skyhawks kept battling. Down to their final strike, McLean looped a two-run, two-out double down the right field line to plate Benny DeTrude (reached via walk) and Fernandez (ground-rule double).
With the score knotted at 17-all, UT Martin reliever Baylor Jones (0-1) nearly sent the game into extra innings as Austin Peay was down to their final strike themselves. However, the Governors managed a two-out walk-off single to complete their comeback.
The Skyhawks now face a quick turnaround as their Ohio Valley Conference series at Little Rock is scheduled for Thursday, April 6 through Saturday, April 8.
Graphic courtesy of UT Martin Sports Information