DOMINANT PITCHING STANDS OUT AS SKYHAWK BASEBALL DEFEATS NORTH ALABAMA, 5-1

Tuesday, March 9

Florence, Ala.

4 p.m.

UT Martin

4-6

North Alabama

1-9

UT Martin

North Alabama

Photo by: North Alabama Athletics

DOMINANT PITCHING STANDS OUT AS SKYHAWK BASEBALL DEFEATS NORTH ALABAMA, 5-1

3/9/2021 8:25:00 PM | Baseball

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FLORENCE, Ala. – The University of Tennessee at Martin pitching staff was lights out today at North Alabama, carrying a no-hitter into the seventh inning while combining for 14 strikeouts in a 5-1 triumph at Mike Lane Field.

Seth Petry (1-0) drew the starting assignment on the mound for the first time in the 2021 campaign, retiring all eight batters he faced with four strikeouts. Eli Martin made his collegiate debut and struck out a pair over 1.1 innings and was followed by Jeffery O'Doherty (two strikeouts in 0.2 innings of work). Boston Smith then made his season debut, needing only one pitch to get one out. Ryan Insco (1.2 innings), Grayden Stauffer (0.1 innings), David Hussey (one inning, three strikeouts) and Nick Wohlbold (one inning, two strikeouts) handled the final four frames for the Skyhawks, who walked only one batter and conceded just three hits.

Offensively, Christian Hall and Casey Harford each went deep for UT Martin, who improves to 4-6 on the season. Houston Wright (two hits, two RBI's), Blake Daniels (two hits, one run scored) and Will Smith (three walks, two runs scored) also added notable performances for the Skyhawks.

Petry was clicking from the get-go, striking out the first batter he faced en route to a perfect first inning. The sophomore right-hander out of Murfreesboro, Tenn. followed with a pair of called strikeouts in the second and fanned the final batter he faced in the third, earning his fifth career win after being removed on a pitch count.

Meanwhile, the UT Martin bats got off to a hot start. Hall smoked a solo homer out to deep right center to lead off the second inning and Wright laced a two-out, two-run single in the top of the third to make the score 3-0 in favor of the Skyhawks.

Martin's first out was a memorable one as he needed just five pitches to dispatch the Lion 9-hole hitter via strikeout. He followed with a scoreless fourth with help from his catcher Blake Davis, as he threw out a would-be basestealer for the second out and made a nice play in front of the mound for the third and final out.

Harford deposited a 2-2 pitch over the wall in left center to begin the top of the fifth, extending UT Martin's advantage out to 4-0.

In the fifth, O'Doherty came in pumping strikes as the senior from Omaha, Neb. fanned the only two batters he faced. Smith was then called in from the bullpen and was efficient – tossing just one pitch to induce a flyout to centerfield. Insco cruised through the sixth, retiring the side in order on just 10 pitches.

The speed of Smith led to a run in the top of the seventh. The freshman from Prattville, Ala. overcame an 0-2 count to work a leadoff walk and soon stole second base. He moved up to third on a balk and came around to score on an RBI groundout off the bat of Harford.

North Alabama tallied its first hit of the contest – a solo home run – with one away in the seventh. Stauffer came in and tallied the final out of the inning on five pitches.

Hussey took over in the eighth, registering three strikeouts before handing the ball over to Wohlbold for the ninth. The Skyhawks' junior closer did not allow a baserunner, notching strikeouts on each of the last two batters of the contest.

UT Martin opens Ohio Valley Conference play this weekend, hosting Belmont for a three-game set. The series opener is set for 3 p.m. on Friday, March 12 and will be followed by a 1 p.m. doubleheader on Saturday, March 13.