Saturday, March 23
Nashville, Tenn.
1 p.m.
UT Martin
at
Belmont
UT MARTIN SOFTBALL HEADS TO MUSIC CITY TO OPEN OVC PLAY AT BELMONT AND TENNESSEE STATE
3/22/2019 12:12:00 PM | Softball
The University of Tennessee at Martin softball team will open its 27th season in the Ohio Valley Conference with a pair of road matchups in Music City over the weekend, opening the league slate with a pair of doubleheaders against Belmont on Saturday, March 23 before traveling across town to Tennessee State on Sunday, March 24.
The Skyhawks (18-10, 0-0 OVC) open league play looking to build upon the team's recent success with eight consecutive victories. UT Martin began to turn a corner winning the final two games of the Stetson Invitational before sweeping the five-game Skyhawk Hampton Inn Classic while picking up a 9-1 road victory against Evansville on Thursday afternoon. In the team's most recent contest, the Skyhawks tallied nine hits in the game while finding RBIs from four different players.
UT Martin boasts a .288 batting average on the season led by the play of sophomore outfielder Paige Clark with a .405 batting average. Clark has been a bright spot all season long, tallying four extra base hits while knocking in 13 RBIs and swiping 15 stolen bases. Senior Alli Fulcher paces the squad with 11 extra base hits – including six doubles and six home runs – along with being tied with fellow senior Gracyn McBride for a team-leading 19 RBIs each.
The Skyhawk pitching staff has posted a sub-three earned run average to this point on the season in 177.2 innings of work. Freshman Lexi Ray (6-4, 3.27 ERA) leads the way with 10 starts and five complete games in a team-high 51.1 innings of work. Junior Hannah Ridolfi (4-3, 3.94 ERA) is tied for the team-lead with five complete games while tallying a pair of shutouts and a save in 42.2 innings. Sophomore Caitlin Karo (4-2, 2.84 ERA) and Erin Gallagher (4-1, 1.95 ERA) have combined to tally eight wins while striking out 52.
Belmont (17-8, 0-0 OVC) enters the weekend riding a four-game winning streak of its own after earning wins over Illinois-Chicago, Purdue Fort Wayne and Maine recently. The Bruins are led offensively by Baylee Cook with a .380 batting average, five doubles, two home runs and 19 RBIs while Alicia Veltri paces the squad with five home runs and 25 RBIs. Inside the circle, junior All-OVC honoree Brooklin Lee highlights the pitching staff with a 9-2 record and 1.31 ERA in 75.0 innings of work while Veltri (7-4, 2.06 ERA) ranks as the team's other starting option.
Tennessee State (5-10, 0-0 OVC) hosts Southeast Missouri on Saturday before squaring off against the Skyhawks on Sunday afternoon. The Lady Tigers are led offensively by the play of Bri Vire with a .431 batting average while Megan Huppee paces the squad with three home runs and nine RBIs. The pitching staff is led by Raven Loveless (4-3, 2.78 ERA) while Katie Schneider (0-5, 4.62 ERA) and Jessina Espinoza (0-1, 2.15 ERA) have also garnered starts inside the circle.
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The Skyhawks (18-10, 0-0 OVC) open league play looking to build upon the team's recent success with eight consecutive victories. UT Martin began to turn a corner winning the final two games of the Stetson Invitational before sweeping the five-game Skyhawk Hampton Inn Classic while picking up a 9-1 road victory against Evansville on Thursday afternoon. In the team's most recent contest, the Skyhawks tallied nine hits in the game while finding RBIs from four different players.
UT Martin boasts a .288 batting average on the season led by the play of sophomore outfielder Paige Clark with a .405 batting average. Clark has been a bright spot all season long, tallying four extra base hits while knocking in 13 RBIs and swiping 15 stolen bases. Senior Alli Fulcher paces the squad with 11 extra base hits – including six doubles and six home runs – along with being tied with fellow senior Gracyn McBride for a team-leading 19 RBIs each.
The Skyhawk pitching staff has posted a sub-three earned run average to this point on the season in 177.2 innings of work. Freshman Lexi Ray (6-4, 3.27 ERA) leads the way with 10 starts and five complete games in a team-high 51.1 innings of work. Junior Hannah Ridolfi (4-3, 3.94 ERA) is tied for the team-lead with five complete games while tallying a pair of shutouts and a save in 42.2 innings. Sophomore Caitlin Karo (4-2, 2.84 ERA) and Erin Gallagher (4-1, 1.95 ERA) have combined to tally eight wins while striking out 52.
Belmont (17-8, 0-0 OVC) enters the weekend riding a four-game winning streak of its own after earning wins over Illinois-Chicago, Purdue Fort Wayne and Maine recently. The Bruins are led offensively by Baylee Cook with a .380 batting average, five doubles, two home runs and 19 RBIs while Alicia Veltri paces the squad with five home runs and 25 RBIs. Inside the circle, junior All-OVC honoree Brooklin Lee highlights the pitching staff with a 9-2 record and 1.31 ERA in 75.0 innings of work while Veltri (7-4, 2.06 ERA) ranks as the team's other starting option.
Tennessee State (5-10, 0-0 OVC) hosts Southeast Missouri on Saturday before squaring off against the Skyhawks on Sunday afternoon. The Lady Tigers are led offensively by the play of Bri Vire with a .431 batting average while Megan Huppee paces the squad with three home runs and nine RBIs. The pitching staff is led by Raven Loveless (4-3, 2.78 ERA) while Katie Schneider (0-5, 4.62 ERA) and Jessina Espinoza (0-1, 2.15 ERA) have also garnered starts inside the circle.
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Players Mentioned
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