Sunday, March 28
Grambling, La.
12 p.m.
UT Martin
8-10, 0
2
at
5
Grambling State
5-13, 0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
R
H
E
UT Martin
2
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
7
1
Grambling State
2
1
2
0
0
0
X
5
8
0
SKYHAWKS CLAIM GRAMBLING STATE SERIES AFTER NIGHTCAP TRIUMPH IN SUNDAY BASEBALL DOUBLEHEADER
3/28/2021 8:52:00 PM | Baseball
GRAMBLING, La. – The University of Tennessee at Martin baseball squad won its third weekend series of the young 2021 campaign as the Skyhawks topped Grambling State in the second game of today's doubleheader, taking two of three from the Southwestern Athletic Conference opponent.
In a pair of scheduled seven-inning games, UT Martin fell by a 5-2 margin in Game 1 but recovered for a 6-5 victory in a 12-inning affair in Game 2. With that win, the Skyhawks improved to 9-10 on the season.
Will Smith led UT Martin with a .375 batting average (3-for-8) on the day, recording team-highs in RBI's (two) and runs scored (two) while socking his second home run of his freshman campaign.
On the mound, Matthew Shunk earned the first Skyhawk career after tossing 1.1 clean innings in Game 2. Overall, the bullpen quartet of Sam Folks (4.1 innings in Game 1), Nick Wohlbold (3.1 no-hit frames in Game 2), David Hussey (3.1 scoreless innings in Game 2) and Shunk combined for a microscopic 0.75 ERA today.
UT Martin heads back to Tennessee to take on Belmont for a nonconference outing on Tuesday, March 30. Earlier this month, the Skyhawks took two out of three against the Bruins at home.
Game 1
UT Martin raced out to a pair of runs in the top of the first but could not manage any more offense as the Tigers evened the series with a 5-2 win.
Sean Dixson led the game off with a bunt single and soon advanced to third on a Smith double. Casey Harford then lifted a sacrifice fly out to right field before Wil LaFollette lined a two-out RBI single to make the score 2-0.
Grambling State scored two runs in the bottom of the first and added another run in the second off Skyhawk starting pitcher Eric Steensma (0-2).
A leadoff error by UT Martin in the third led to two runs (one earned) as the Tigers claimed a 5-2 lead. From that moment forward, Folks shut the door on Grambling State as he struck out three consecutive Tigers at one point. The senior lefty kept the Skyhawks in the game by putting up zero after zero to close out the contest.
UT Martin was able to put at least one runner aboard the basepaths in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings but couldn't cut into its deficit.
Game 2
A wild backend of the doubleheader was in store as both team's offenses came alive to continually extend the game before the Skyhawks emerged victorious.
Grambling State got on the scoreboard initially, pushing across a run in the bottom of the first. However, UT Martin starter Seth Petry recovered and stranded the bases loaded after a strikeout on the eighth pitch of the at-bat.
Wohlbold entered the contest in the second inning and quickly silenced the Tiger bats. The only runner who reached on Wohlbold in 3.1 frames was a leadoff hit batsman in the fourth. However, he was soon erased on Wohlbold's second pickoff of the game. All in all, the junior right-hander from Columbia, Mo. pieced together three groundouts, two strikeouts, two flyouts and one popout.
Meanwhile, the Skyhawk offense knotted the score at 1-all after the top of the third. Houston Wright was hit by a pitch and was followed by a bunt single off the bat of Blake Davis. Following a sacrifice bunt by Jack Culumovic, Wright scored on a wild pitch to make it 1-1.
Hussey picked up where Wohlbold left off, combining to whiff three Tigers in the sixth and seventh innings. The righty out of Minter, Ala. kept momentum on UT Martin's side after the eighth as he stranded two Grambling State baserunners to keep the score tied.
In the ninth, Culumovic was active on the basepaths after drawing a leadoff walk. He moved up to second thanks to a sacrifice bunt from Dixson and soon stole third. He then came home on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Christian Hall as the Skyhawks took their first lead of the contest.
The Tigers forced extra innings after tying the game in the bottom of the ninth. Jefferey O'Doherty ensured the game would go into 11 innings after holding Grambling State scoreless in the bottom of the 10th.
UT Martin reeled off three runs in the top of the 11th. Davis led off the rally with a walk and came in to score four pitches later via a Dixson triple. Smith then crushed a two-run homer to make the score 5-2.
Grambling State would not quit, scoring three runs in the bottom half of the frame before Shunk was summoned to escape a bases-loaded jam.
In the top of the 12th, Ethan Whitley scored the eventual game-winning run. He was issued a one-out walk and advanced 90 feet on a wild pitch. After walks to Benny DeTrude and Jonah Brady, Whitley came home to score on a Culumovic sacrifice fly.
Shunk put the finishing touches on the series win, inducing a pair of groundouts and a strikeout in the bottom of the inning.
In a pair of scheduled seven-inning games, UT Martin fell by a 5-2 margin in Game 1 but recovered for a 6-5 victory in a 12-inning affair in Game 2. With that win, the Skyhawks improved to 9-10 on the season.
Will Smith led UT Martin with a .375 batting average (3-for-8) on the day, recording team-highs in RBI's (two) and runs scored (two) while socking his second home run of his freshman campaign.
On the mound, Matthew Shunk earned the first Skyhawk career after tossing 1.1 clean innings in Game 2. Overall, the bullpen quartet of Sam Folks (4.1 innings in Game 1), Nick Wohlbold (3.1 no-hit frames in Game 2), David Hussey (3.1 scoreless innings in Game 2) and Shunk combined for a microscopic 0.75 ERA today.
UT Martin heads back to Tennessee to take on Belmont for a nonconference outing on Tuesday, March 30. Earlier this month, the Skyhawks took two out of three against the Bruins at home.
Game 1
UT Martin raced out to a pair of runs in the top of the first but could not manage any more offense as the Tigers evened the series with a 5-2 win.
Sean Dixson led the game off with a bunt single and soon advanced to third on a Smith double. Casey Harford then lifted a sacrifice fly out to right field before Wil LaFollette lined a two-out RBI single to make the score 2-0.
Grambling State scored two runs in the bottom of the first and added another run in the second off Skyhawk starting pitcher Eric Steensma (0-2).
A leadoff error by UT Martin in the third led to two runs (one earned) as the Tigers claimed a 5-2 lead. From that moment forward, Folks shut the door on Grambling State as he struck out three consecutive Tigers at one point. The senior lefty kept the Skyhawks in the game by putting up zero after zero to close out the contest.
UT Martin was able to put at least one runner aboard the basepaths in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings but couldn't cut into its deficit.
Game 2
A wild backend of the doubleheader was in store as both team's offenses came alive to continually extend the game before the Skyhawks emerged victorious.
Grambling State got on the scoreboard initially, pushing across a run in the bottom of the first. However, UT Martin starter Seth Petry recovered and stranded the bases loaded after a strikeout on the eighth pitch of the at-bat.
Wohlbold entered the contest in the second inning and quickly silenced the Tiger bats. The only runner who reached on Wohlbold in 3.1 frames was a leadoff hit batsman in the fourth. However, he was soon erased on Wohlbold's second pickoff of the game. All in all, the junior right-hander from Columbia, Mo. pieced together three groundouts, two strikeouts, two flyouts and one popout.
Meanwhile, the Skyhawk offense knotted the score at 1-all after the top of the third. Houston Wright was hit by a pitch and was followed by a bunt single off the bat of Blake Davis. Following a sacrifice bunt by Jack Culumovic, Wright scored on a wild pitch to make it 1-1.
Hussey picked up where Wohlbold left off, combining to whiff three Tigers in the sixth and seventh innings. The righty out of Minter, Ala. kept momentum on UT Martin's side after the eighth as he stranded two Grambling State baserunners to keep the score tied.
In the ninth, Culumovic was active on the basepaths after drawing a leadoff walk. He moved up to second thanks to a sacrifice bunt from Dixson and soon stole third. He then came home on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Christian Hall as the Skyhawks took their first lead of the contest.
The Tigers forced extra innings after tying the game in the bottom of the ninth. Jefferey O'Doherty ensured the game would go into 11 innings after holding Grambling State scoreless in the bottom of the 10th.
UT Martin reeled off three runs in the top of the 11th. Davis led off the rally with a walk and came in to score four pitches later via a Dixson triple. Smith then crushed a two-run homer to make the score 5-2.
Grambling State would not quit, scoring three runs in the bottom half of the frame before Shunk was summoned to escape a bases-loaded jam.
In the top of the 12th, Ethan Whitley scored the eventual game-winning run. He was issued a one-out walk and advanced 90 feet on a wild pitch. After walks to Benny DeTrude and Jonah Brady, Whitley came home to score on a Culumovic sacrifice fly.
Shunk put the finishing touches on the series win, inducing a pair of groundouts and a strikeout in the bottom of the inning.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Boykins Jr, Kerry (2-1)
L: Steensma, Eric (1-4)
Batting:
2B: Smith, Will 1
RBI: Harford, Casey 1 ; LaFollette, Wil 1
SF: Harford, Casey 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Dixson, Sean 1 ; Smith, Will 1
CS: Smith, Will 1
Batting:
2B: Almaguer, Jeremy 1 ; Ramirez, Rafael 1 ; Nervis Jr, Gerald 1
RBI: Almaguer, Jeremy 1 ; Ramirez, Rafael 3
Base Running:
RUNS: Phelts, Cameron 2 ; Percival, Jahmoi 1 ; Smith, Jordyn 1 ; Ramirez, Rafael 1
SB: Phelts, Cameron 2
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
3
R
1
H
2
RBI
0
AB
3
R
0
H
2
RBI
0
AB
4
R
1
H
1
RBI
0
AB
3
R
0
H
1
RBI
1
Players Mentioned
UTIL
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IF
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RHP
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RHP
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RHP
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RHP
/ Baseball1B
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OF
/ BaseballSkyhawk Sports Talk - Season 2, Episode 33
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Thursday, April 10
Skyhawk Sports Talk - Season 2, Episode 30
Thursday, April 10
Skyhawk Sports Talk - Season 2, Episode 29
Thursday, April 10