UTM BASEBALL BLASTS EIGHT HOME RUNS IN DOUBLEHEADER SPLIT AT EASTERN ILLINOIS

Friday, April 26

Charleston, Ill.

Noon

UT Martin

17-24, 6-13

Eastern Illinois

20-22, 10-12

UT MARTIN

Eastern Illinois

UTM BASEBALL BLASTS EIGHT HOME RUNS IN DOUBLEHEADER SPLIT AT EASTERN ILLINOIS

4/26/2019 7:07:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2 Game 1 PDF Boxscore Game 2 PDF Boxscore

CHARLESTON, Ill. – The University of Tennessee at Martin baseball team belted eight home runs on the day in the doubleheader split with Eastern Illinois. The Skyhawks took the first game of the twin bill by a score of 9-4 before dropping the back end of the doubleheader 16-5.

On the day, Creighton Eldridge swung the hot bat as the Mansfield, Texas native collected four hits – all of which were extra base hits including a double and three homers. He belted a trio of solo shots and racked up 14 total bases between the two games. Blake Davis notched only one hit on the day but it happened to be a grand slam which led all Skyhawk batters in run production. Casey Harford, Blake Daniels, Billy Edwards and Ethan Whitley also connected for long balls in the homer-laden day. Harford tallied three hits to go along with three RBIs while Daniels also put up a trio of knocks and two RBIs.

Austen Bullington added a complete game to his UT Martin resume as he logged the nine-inning start in Game 1. He led the Skyhawks in strikeouts on the day with six to his name. In the second game of the day, Sam Folks, David Hussey and Jeff O'Doherty combined for six retired via the punchout.

Game 1

In the first contest, a total of five home runs were hit by the Skyhawks led by Eldridge's pair of long balls while Harford, Davis and Whitley also connected for dingers. Davis paced the team in RBIs in Game 1 as he launched a grand slam on his lone knock of the game. Harford tallied a three-hit day while Eldridge compiled a pair of knocks as both men drove in two runs. Whitley rounded out the scoring sheet as his homer accounted for the lone run he plated. Also tallying hits were Sean Dixson, Daniels and Tyson Cox while all three earned a free base as well. Hayden Cooper also notched a knock in the contest. Although he saw his seven-game hit streak snap, Jordan Stoner was able to extend his 14-game on base streak to 15 games as he was plunked by a pitch. He made up for lost time by swiping his sixth base on the year while Harford and Cooper also swiped a bag apiece.

Bullington drew the starting nod and went the distance for the Skyhawks as he logged all nine innings and allowed four earned runs on eight hits and two walks. The Newburgh, Ind. native became the second Skyhawk this season to notch a complete game as Folks tossed a complete game shutout against Southeast Missouri on March 10. Bullington carried a quality start into the ninth but gave up the fourth run on a double-play groundout. He tied his season-high of six strikeouts today, matching his six against Auburn on March 6.

Bullington made quick work in the home half of the opening frame as he needed just six pitches to cruise through the inning. He induced a fly out to center to the first batter he faced then forced a first-pitch pop out to first before concluding the first inning with a groundout to second base. Bullington kept chugging along in the second as he required seven pitches this time to retire the side in order. He forced a pair of fly outs to left and center, respectively, before ending the frame on a groundout back to himself.

The UT Martin third saw Whitley put the Skyhawks on the board with his solo shot to center field to give his team a 1-0 advantage.

The Panthers wasted little time matching UT Martin's run as they tallied a run of their own in the third to knot things up at 1-1.

Bullington bookended the fourth with strikeouts as he scattered a free base and a single to Eastern Illinois. He breezed through the fifth as he sat down the side in order on a groundout, fly out and strikeout, respectively.

The Skyhawks pushed a trio of runs across in the sixth as Daniels worked a six-pitch walk before Harford sent a two-run dinger to left center. Eldridge then ripped a solo home run to right center to give UT Martin a 4-1 lead.

Bullingotn conceded a run in the sixth off a homer that allowed the Panthers to inch back by a score of 4-2.

UT Martin broke open the game in the seventh when five Skyhawks came home. Cox got the frame going with a single to left center followed by Dixson connecting for an infield knock to second that put two runners on. Harford then beat out a single to short just before Davis smacked his second grand slam of the season. Another Eldridge long ball came a batter later for his second dinger of the day which put the Skyhawks in a comfortable 9-2 lead.

Bullington worked around a leadoff hit by pitch followed by a single to force a pop out and pair of whiffs in the seventh.

Eastern Illinois tallied one run both the eighth and ninth innings to make the final score 9-4.

Game 2

Daniels paced the Skyhawks in the second game as he tallied two hits and a pair of RBIs. He knocked a two-run homer early in the contest. Eldridge notched a two-hit performance including another long ball and an RBI. Edwards belted a home run as well in the game on his lone hit while Harford concluded the scoring options for UT Martin as he plated one run. Dixson notched a knock and earned a free base while Stoner also tallied a hit. Cox did not get on via a hit but he worked the count twice to pick up a pair of walks.

Folks drew the starting nod in the back end of the doubleheader and logged four innings of action. He was tagged for 11 earned runs on 11 hits and two walks but rung up three in his time on the bump. Hussey and O'Doherty tossed a couple of innings each and combined for a total of seven hits, four earned runs, two walks and three strikeouts.

UT Martin struck early as Dixson worked a seven-pitch free base just before Daniels smashed a homer to left center to give the Skyhawks a 2-0 advantage in the first inning.

Eastern Illinois put up five runs in the home half of the first to take a 5-2 lead. The Panthers tallied three more runs in the second to push their lead out to 8-2.

In the third, Cox led off the frame with a six-pitch walk before Dixson was plunked on the first pitch he saw. With two outs, Harford reach on a fielding error by the third baseman that allowed Cox to score and inched UT Martin back by a score of 8-3.

The Panther half of the third saw Folks gain his footing as he breezed through the frame. He fanned the first batter on three pitches followed by a pair of groundouts.

The Skyhawks put up another run in the fourth when Edwards belted a two-out solo shot to center to make the score 8-4.

Eastern Illinois pushed four runs across in the fourth inning to extend its lead out to 12-4.

The UT Martin sixth saw one run cross the plate as Eldridge smoked a long ball to left center and narrowed the score to 12-5.

The Panthers notched a three-run sixth to make give them a 15-5 lead and provided the eventual final score of 16-5 in the eighth when they plated another run.

The Skyhawks look to take the series from Eastern Illinois with the rubber match scheduled for Sunday, April 28 at 1 p.m.