WELL-ROUNDED OUTING LIFTS UTM BASEBALL TO 4-2 VICTORY OVER JACKSONVILLE STATE

Sunday, May 5

Martin, Tenn.

3:00 PM

UT Martin

20-26, 8-15

Jacksonville State

25-21, 15-8

Jacksonville State

UT Martin

WELL-ROUNDED OUTING LIFTS UTM BASEBALL TO 4-2 VICTORY OVER JACKSONVILLE STATE

5/5/2019 7:09:00 PM | Baseball

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MARTIN, Tenn. – The University of Tennessee at Martin notched a 4-2 win over Ohio Valley Conference foe Jacksonville State this evening with both sides of the ball pulling through for the Skyhawks.

Offensively, UT Martin (20-26, 8-15 OVC) was led by the big bat of Blake Davis. The catcher out of Crandall, Ga. collected a pair of knocks in the outing including a two-run dinger. Jordan Stoner tallied a two-hit day and plated a run to account for the remaining runs batted in. Casey Harford rounded out the Skyhawk batters in the hit column with one in the contest. Hayden Cooper worked the count twice to get on base via walk while Sean Dixson, Creighton Eldridge and Blake Daniels also earned free bases on the day.

Southpaw Sam Folks drew the starting nod and logged five complete innings. He allowed just two earned runs on five hits and five walks but fanned a trio of Gamecocks in his time toeing the rubber. The UT Martin bullpen was outstanding today as the trio of Marcus Eusebio, Zach Denney and Nick Wohlbold combined for four shutout innings and five strikeouts. Eusebio followed Folks and conceded just one hit in his time on the mound while recording a punchout. Denney (2-1) was credited with the victory. The righty out of Russellville, Ky. came on for 1.2 innings, allowed just two free bases and rung up two. Wohlbold notched his 11^th save of the season as he conceded two hits but sat down two Jacksonville State batters on strikes.

The Gamecocks jumped on Folks early as they collected a pair of runs in the opening frame of action to take an early 2-0 lead.

Folks found his footing in the second inning as he struck out the first batter on three pitches, caught the next batter looking and forced a pop out to first base to retire the side in order. He worked out of a pickle in the third as he saw himself faced with bases loaded and one out to fan the next batter and induce a foul out to right field to keep Jacksonville State off the board. Folks worked around a one-out walk in the fourth to find a pop out to second base followed by a fly out to left field to make fairly quick work of the Gamecocks.

UT Martin knotted the score up in the fifth as Daniels led off the frame with a six-pitch free base. Cox was then plunked by a pitch to put a pair of runners on in time for a Stoner single through the right side to plate Daniels. Later, Davis beat out an infield single to third that would be good enough to bring in Cox and make the score 2-2.

Eusebio came on in the sixth inning and worked around a leadoff single to ring up the next batter. He then received a sacrifice bunt followed by a fly out to right field to get out of the inning.

Denney entered the contest in the seventh and struck out the first batter he saw on four pitches. He lost the next two batters via walk after an eight-pitch and six-pitch battle, respectively. However, Denney kept his cool as he sat down the next batter on strikes after an eight-pitch at bat. The next batter lined one right back to Denney as he put up his glove in a defensive move to get out of the frame.

The Skyhawks pushed two more across the plate in the seventh as Stoner got things going with an infield knock to third base. Harford then grounded out to the pitcher but moved Stoner over to second. Then stepped Davis into the batter's box as he uncorked a towering long ball, on the first pitch he saw, over the scoreboard in left field to give UT Martin a 4-2 lead.

In the eighth, Denney kept chugging along as he induced a pop out to second followed by a lineout to right field. Wohlbold entered with one out remaining in the eighth inning. He conceded a single but forced a fly out to right field to get out of the frame.

Wohlbold found a friendly fly-ball out to left to open the ninth before giving up a double to right field. He kept his composure though to sit down the final two Gamecocks on swinging strikeouts.

The Skyhawks look to take the rubber match from Jacksonville State tomorrow with first pitch slated for 1 p.m.