By Alex Boggis, UT Martin Assistant Sports Information Director
OXFORD, Miss. – The University of Tennessee at Martin softball team pushed Southeastern Conference foe Ole Miss to the brink on Tuesday evening by putting both the potential game-tying and go-ahead runs in scoring position in the top of the seventh inning but ultimately fell just short of a victory with a 1-0 setback.
The Skyhawks (12-17) went on the road and tallied three hits – including leadoff hits in three of the final four innings – but couldn’t push a run across the plate. The trio of Katie Dreiling, Maddi Long and Kiersten Nixon each notched base knocks in the contest while Nixon recorded the team’s lone extra base hit with a double in the sixth inning.
While the team’s hitters were held at bay, the Skyhawk pitching tandem of Brooklynn Linneman (5-5) and Dreiling were impressive. Against an offense which averaged over 4.4 runs per game, UT Martin’s duo limited the Rebels to just one run in seven innings of action. Linneman was hit with the loss after allowing one run while striking out four in 4.0 innings of work. Dreiling then shut the door with two scoreless innings of relief to hold the home team in check.
Ole Miss (22-16) leaned on pitcher Grace Sparks (2-2) throughout the contest as she scattered three hits while striking out 10 in six innings. The seventh inning saw Sparks get pulled after a hit while Brooke Vestal and Makenna Kliethermes shut the door for the save.
The game’s lone run came in the third inning as Aynslie Furbush turned on a 1-1 pitch and launched a solo blast over the left field wall to give Ole Miss a 1-0 advantage.
The Skyhawks then looked to find an equalizer in the following innings but stranded runners at third base in both the sixth and seventh inning. The team’s first real scoring opportunity came in the sixth when Nixon led off the inning with a double to center field. She later moved over to third base on a sacrifice bunt to record the first out, but Ole Miss found back-to-back groundouts to strand the runner 60 feet away.
Things got interesting in the top of the seventh as Long worked the count and laced the eighth pitch of the at bat up the middle to lead off the frame. Another impressive plate appearance came from Avry Blume who also worked a lengthy county before drawing a walk on the 11th pitch of the at bat. The tandem later moved into scoring position which forced a second pitching change in the inning but a strikeout by Kliethermes concluded the game.
UT Martin returns to action this weekend when playing a three-game Ohio Valley Conference series against Tennessee Tech. The two teams will play a single contest on Friday, April 7 beginning at 2 p.m. before wrapping up the series with a doubleheader on Saturday, April 8 beginning at noon.
Graphic courtesy of UT Martin Sports Information