SKYHAWK SOFTBALL SPLITS DAY TWO OF BLACK AND GOLD TOURNAMENT

Saturday, February 16

Montgomery, Ala.

9:30 a.m.

UT Martin

6-2

Purdue Fort Wayne

2-5

Team	1	2	3	4	5	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
UT Martin	2	3	4	0	0	9	9	1
Purdue Fort Wayne	0	0	0	0	1	1	4	2

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
UT Martin	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	2	4	1
North Alabama	0	1	0	0	0	2	X	3	6	1

Photo by: Jimmy Gartman

SKYHAWK SOFTBALL SPLITS DAY TWO OF BLACK AND GOLD TOURNAMENT

2/16/2019 5:36:00 PM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2 Game 8: PDF Game 9: PDF

MONTGOMERY, Ala. – The University of Tennessee at Martin softball team return to action on Day Two of the Black and Gold Tournament by splitting its matchups, defeating Purdue Fort Wayne 9-1 in five innings in the opening game of the day before falling 3-2 to North Alabama.

The Skyhawks (5-3) tallied 11 runs on the day to earn a split on a sunny day on the campus of Alabama State. Five different player notched a pair of base hits on the day as Aalia Bivens, Alli Fulcher, Haylee Short, Paige Clark and Kenna Garst led the way. Bivens would highlight the day with a pair of doubles while Short led the way with three RBIs on the day. Meanwhile Shelby Woodard and Clark also tallied multi-RBI contests.

UT Martin turned to its freshmen in the circle today. Lexi Ray (2-1, 3.50 ERA) earned her second win of the season, striking out three while allowing one earned run in five innings of work against Purdue Fort Wayne. Erin Gallagher (1-1, 1.11 ERA) made her first career start, allowing two earned runs over six innings of work.

Game 8: UT Martin 9, Purdue Fort Wayne 1 (Five innings)

UT Martin scored early and often in the first game of the day. Back-to-back singles by Clark and Short resulted in the first run of the game while a double play brought the team's second run of the inning home. The Skyhawks added three more runs in the second inning after three straight singles were highlighted by a RBI single to center by Clark to push out the margin. The lead would ultimately reach five runs when two runs came home to score on a fielding error to cap the second inning.

The Skyhawks would essentially put the game away in the top of the third. Already leading by five runs, UT Martin pushed for the mercy rule as Bivens led off the inning with an opposite field double before coming home on a fielder's choice later in the inning. The 1-2 duo of Clark and Short would come through again to drive in three combined run and take a 9-0 lead which would not be relinquished.

Game 9: North Alabama 3, UT Martin 2

In the second game of the day, North Alabama jumped out to an early lead in the bottom of the second. A pair of walks proved costly as a single scored the game's first run.

UT Martin would strike back in the top of the sixth and ultimately take the lead. Short would draw a full-count walk before moving into scoring position with a stolen base. Fulcher would then move the pair into scoring position with a single to third that deflected and resulted in an error. With runners on second and third, Woodard – a North Alabama transfer - came through in the clutch against her former squad with a two-run double into the left field gap to take a 2-1 advantage.

North Alabama fought back in the bottom of the sixth after an error resulted in the game becoming tied at two runs apiece. The error would come around the bite the Skyhawks again as the runner later came home to score on a single to serve as the difference in the contest as UT Martin fell 3-2.