Friday, February 19
Birmingham, Ala.
2 p.m.
UT Martin
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Photo by: Wade Event Photography
NINTH INNING RALLY FALLS JUST SHORT AS UT MARTIN BASEBALL DROPS SEASON OPENER AT SAMFORD, 5-3
2/19/2021 6:15:00 PM | Baseball
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The University of Tennessee at Martin outhit preseason Southern Conference favorite Samford today but a big second inning proved to be the difference as the Skyhawks fell 5-3 in the 2021 baseball season opener at Joe Lee Griffin Field.
Seven different UT Martin batters collected a hit today as the Skyhawks pieced together 10 hits. Sean Dixson, Ethan Whitley and Will Smith each had two-hit days while Casey Harford and Christian Hall both drove in a run. Harford, Houston Wright and Benny DeTrude each crossed the plate in the top of the ninth as UT Martin had the tying run at the plate with one away but the comeback attempt was stalled.
Winston Cannon made the 42nd start of his career on the mound for the Skyhawks, receiving the loss after going four innings while allowing four runs on four hits. He fanned four batters and mostly made short work of the vaunted Bulldog offense but Samford scored all four runs during a two-out rally in the second frame.
A trio of UT Martin relievers performed well today in Baylor Jones (two innings), David Hussey (one inning) and Matthew Shunk (one inning). They combined to allow one unearned run on just two hits over the final four frames to cap off a season opener where the Bulldogs could only muster six hits (five of which were singles).
Gallery: (2-19-2021) Baseball at Samford
Dixson delivered the first hit of the season with a hard-hit single up the middle in the top of the first. Cannon did not allow a ball out of the infield in the bottom half and quickly got two outs with runners on the corners in the second inning. Three straight Samford hitters then reached base and after a wild pitch, the Bulldogs took a 4-0 advantage.
Smith and Dixson each singled in the third inning with only one out but Samford was able to wiggle out of the jam. Cannon recovered nicely with a nine-pitch frame in the third, retiring the side in order. He then put another zero on the scoreboard in the bottom of the fourth, his final inning of work.
Making just the second appearance of his collegiate career, Jones breezed through the fifth inning on just 11 pitches. The Bulldogs managed to take a 5-0 lead in the sixth after a one-out Skyhawk error led to a run off a safety squeeze bunt.
Hussey pitched around a leadoff single in the seventh to put up another clean frame for the UT Martin bullpen. In the top of the eighth, the Skyhawk bats started to come alive as Blake Davis and Smith led off the inning with opposite-field singles. However, Samford used only seven pitches to avoid trouble by inducing a popup and an inning-ending double play.
Shunk made his UT Martin debut in the bottom of the eighth, keeping the Bulldogs off the scoreboard to set up a dramatic rally in the ninth.
Wright opened with a single and soon scored on a double down the left field line off the bat of Harford. After Wil LaFollette reached on an error, DeTrude came into pinch run as Samford summoned its closer out of the bullpen. Hall delivered a big one-out RBI single to plate Harford and bring the tying run to the dish with one out. After DeTrude scampered home on a wild pitch to make the score 5-3, the Bulldogs were able to hang on for the win by retiring the final two batters.
These two squads will play the middle game of a three-game series on Saturday, Feb. 20 at 2 p.m.
Seven different UT Martin batters collected a hit today as the Skyhawks pieced together 10 hits. Sean Dixson, Ethan Whitley and Will Smith each had two-hit days while Casey Harford and Christian Hall both drove in a run. Harford, Houston Wright and Benny DeTrude each crossed the plate in the top of the ninth as UT Martin had the tying run at the plate with one away but the comeback attempt was stalled.
Winston Cannon made the 42nd start of his career on the mound for the Skyhawks, receiving the loss after going four innings while allowing four runs on four hits. He fanned four batters and mostly made short work of the vaunted Bulldog offense but Samford scored all four runs during a two-out rally in the second frame.
A trio of UT Martin relievers performed well today in Baylor Jones (two innings), David Hussey (one inning) and Matthew Shunk (one inning). They combined to allow one unearned run on just two hits over the final four frames to cap off a season opener where the Bulldogs could only muster six hits (five of which were singles).
Dixson delivered the first hit of the season with a hard-hit single up the middle in the top of the first. Cannon did not allow a ball out of the infield in the bottom half and quickly got two outs with runners on the corners in the second inning. Three straight Samford hitters then reached base and after a wild pitch, the Bulldogs took a 4-0 advantage.
Smith and Dixson each singled in the third inning with only one out but Samford was able to wiggle out of the jam. Cannon recovered nicely with a nine-pitch frame in the third, retiring the side in order. He then put another zero on the scoreboard in the bottom of the fourth, his final inning of work.
Making just the second appearance of his collegiate career, Jones breezed through the fifth inning on just 11 pitches. The Bulldogs managed to take a 5-0 lead in the sixth after a one-out Skyhawk error led to a run off a safety squeeze bunt.
Hussey pitched around a leadoff single in the seventh to put up another clean frame for the UT Martin bullpen. In the top of the eighth, the Skyhawk bats started to come alive as Blake Davis and Smith led off the inning with opposite-field singles. However, Samford used only seven pitches to avoid trouble by inducing a popup and an inning-ending double play.
Shunk made his UT Martin debut in the bottom of the eighth, keeping the Bulldogs off the scoreboard to set up a dramatic rally in the ninth.
Wright opened with a single and soon scored on a double down the left field line off the bat of Harford. After Wil LaFollette reached on an error, DeTrude came into pinch run as Samford summoned its closer out of the bullpen. Hall delivered a big one-out RBI single to plate Harford and bring the tying run to the dish with one out. After DeTrude scampered home on a wild pitch to make the score 5-3, the Bulldogs were able to hang on for the win by retiring the final two batters.
These two squads will play the middle game of a three-game series on Saturday, Feb. 20 at 2 p.m.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Samuel Strickland (1-0)
L: Cannon, Winston (0-1)
S: Carson Cupo (1)
Batting:
2B: Harford, Casey 1
RBI: Harford, Casey 1 ; Hall, Christian 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Wright, Houston 1 ; Harford, Casey 1 ; DeTrude, Benny 1
SB: DeTrude, Benny 1 ; Hall, Christian 1
Batting:
2B: Brooks Carlson 1
RBI: Brooks Carlson 1 ; Max Pinto 3
SH: Max Pinto 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Colton Ledbetter 1 ; Ryan Crockett 1 ; Blake Bortak 1 ; Will David 1 ; Max Pinto 1
SB: Garrett Howe 1 ; Max Pinto 1
HBP: Taylor Garris 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
4
R
0
H
2
RBI
0
AB
4
R
0
H
2
RBI
0
AB
4
R
0
H
2
RBI
0
AB
4
R
1
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
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/ Baseball
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