SKYHAWK BASEBALL SEES RECORD-SETTING YEAR COME TO AN END IN OVC CHAMPIONSHIPS

Wednesday, May 22

Marion, Ill.

4 P.M.

UT Martin

25-30

Austin Peay

31-23

UT Martin

Austin Peay

SKYHAWK BASEBALL SEES RECORD-SETTING YEAR COME TO AN END IN OVC CHAMPIONSHIPS

5/23/2019 12:12:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2 Game 4 PDF Boxscore Game 5 PDF Boxscore Photo Gallery

MARION, Ill. – The University of Tennessee at Martin baseball squad saw its 2019 season come to an end today as the Skyhawks dropped a pair of back-to-back matchups.

UT Martin (25-31) fell to Austin Peay in Game 4 of the OVC Baseball Championships by a 12-2 margin and dropped Game 5 by a score of 9-4 to Murray State.

Game 4

Ethan Whitley swung the big bat in the tournament matchup as he belted a solo home run. The trio of Casey Harford, Blake Davis and Blake Daniels tallied one knock apiece in the game.

Winston Cannon drew the starting nod but was tagged with the loss as he conceded eight runs on seven hits and four walks. The Cookeville, Tenn. native did however fan a couple of Governors in his time on the bump. Jeff O'Doherty allowed four runs but did ring up two batters in his two innings of work. Austin Buzick was untouchable as he struck out all three Austin Peay batsmen he faced in his lone frame on the mound.

Austin Peay struck first as the Governors pushed a trio of runs across the plate in the bottom of the first to take a 3-0 lead.

The Skyhawks notched a run in the top of the second inning as Harford got the frame going with a single to left center field. Davis then worked a six-pitch free base before Daniels was hit by a pitch with two outs to load up the bases. Tyson Cox was in the batter's box when a wild pitch allowed Harford to scoot home and make the score 3-1.

Cannon made fairly quick work of the Governors in the top of the second as he forced a first-pitch ground out to third to open the inning. He then induced a fly out to left field before allowing a knock through the right side followed by an 11-pitch walk but managed to catch a runner trying to advance on a dropped pitch to get out of the inning. Cannon worked even quicker in the third as he worked around a one-out single before forcing a lineout to center and ground out to short, respectively.

UT Martin inched back in the fourth as Whitley smashed a first-pitch solo shot to left center field to trim the Skyhawks' deficit to 3-2.

Austin Peay scored nine more runs over the next four innings to take a 12-2 lead.

Buzick entered the ballgame in the eighth and fanned the side in order to provide stability to the UT Martin pitching staff.

Game 5

Pacing UT Martin in offense in Game 5 of the OVC Baseball Championships was Davis as he tallied a pair of knocks and drove in one run. Creighton Eldridge, Harford and Daniels also connected for a hit and an RBI apiece while Cox rounded out the hit column for the Skyhawks.

Seth Petry (4-2) started on the mound and was credited with the loss. He clocked in for four full innings as he allowed four earned runs on eight hit and a walk but he did sit down one Racer on strikes. David Hussey tossed two innings and was tagged for one earned run but he recorded all six outs via the punchout during his time toeing the rubber. Zach Denney pitched the final two frames but conceded three earned runs. He did however fan a trio of Murray State batters before his day was through.

Eldridge got things started for the Skyhawks in the first inning as he worked a six-pitch one-out walk before swiping second. He then advanced to third base on a passed ball before Harford roped a two-bagger to right center which plated Eldridge and gave UT Martin the early 1-0 advantage.

Murray State plated three runs in the bottom of the first to take a 3-1 lead.

Petry forced a ground out to the first Racer of the second before fanning the next one he faced. He worked around a two-out single up the middle before getting some help from backstop Davis by catching the would-be base thief to keep things status quo.

UT Martin would put trim its deficit in the top of the third inning as Eldridge unleashed a two-out solo blast to right field to make the score 3-2.

The Racers added on a pair of runs in the third to push their lead out to 5-2.

In the fourth, Petry retired the side in order as he found a line out to left field for the first out and recorded the second out on a flashing of the leather by shortstop Harford. The final out of the frame came on a dazzling foul out catch by leftfielder Sean Dixson as he made the snag and fell over the wall in four territory but made the highlight-reel out to allow Petry to cruise through the inning.

Hussey was called upon in the fifth in relief of Petry and made quick work of the Murray State bats. He forced all three batters he faced to whiff as he blazed through the inning.

In the bottom of the sixth, the Racers brought in a run to give them a 6-2 lead but not before Hussey once again struck out the side.

Denney entered in the seventh and forced a fly out to center field before recording a strikeout. With two outs, he allowed a free base but induced another fly ball out to center to get out of the inning.

UT Martin plated a run in the eighth as Eldridge got the frame going by earning a four-pitch walk. Jordan Stoner then worked the count for six-pitch free base of his own to put a pair of runners on. Harford then reached on a fielder's choice that erased Stoner from the base paths and gave the Skyhawks runners at the corners. A Davis poke out to right center would drive in Eldridge before Daniels hit into a fielder's choice that plated Harford and allowed the Skyhawk to inch back 6-4.

Murray State tallied a trio of runs in the bottom of the eighth to give the eventual final score of 9-4.

UT Martin posted a season to remember as the Skyhawks tied the program's Division-I win record yesterday in the 2-1 win over Eastern Illinois. Eldridge and Whitley each belted a homer on the day as both men notched home run number 10 on the year. Both also have hammered out 19 long balls in their careers which ranks tied for six-most in program history. Harford tallied his 45th RBI of the year which gives him the 10th-most for any Skyhawk in a single season. Stoner wore another pitch today which pushed his sole possession of times hit by pitch in a UT Martin career out to 34 total instances. Hussey appeared in his 27th game of the season today which moved him into eighth for most times called upon in a single season.