SKYHAWK BASEBALL DROPS SERIES OPENER AGAINST JACKSONVILLE STATE

Friday, April 30

Martin, Tenn.

5 p.m.

UT Martin

15-21, 7-9

Jacksonville State

20-21, 10-9

Jacksonville State

UT Martin

SKYHAWK BASEBALL DROPS SERIES OPENER AGAINST JACKSONVILLE STATE

4/30/2021 10:15:00 PM | Baseball

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MARTIN, Tenn. – Casey Harford went 3-for-3 with the University of Tennessee at Martin's lone RBI today against Jacksonville State but it wasn't enough as the Skyhawks fell 6-1 in the first game of their Ohio Valley Conference weekend set.

Harford's performance was his second three-hit game of the season and 11^th in the career of the junior shortstop out of Cordova, Tenn. He began his outing with three consecutive hits before lifting a sacrifice fly in his final plate appearance for his co-team-best 30^th RBI of the 2021 campaign.

UT Martin (15-21, 7-9 OVC) equaled the Gamecocks in the hit column (8-8) but four of Jacksonville State's six runs were unearned.

Winston Cannon (6-5) threw well today – pitching into the seventh inning before departing the game. The senior from Cookeville, Tenn. wound up going 6.1 frames, allowing only two earned runs on six hits with five strikeouts against zero walks. He became the program's all-time leader in innings pitched (286.2), passing Michael Blount (285 from 1995-98) in that category.

Out of the Skyhawk bullpen, Seth Petry (0.2 innings), Ryan Insco (one), Matthew Shunk (0.1) and Jefferey O'Doherty (0.2) did not allow an earned run while allowing only two hits with five strikeouts over the final 2.2 frames.

The Skyhawk offense threatened early and often but could not manufacture a run until the latter portion of the contest. After the Gamecocks (20-21, 10-9 OVC) took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first, one-out singles by Blake Daniels and Casey Harford put UT Martin in good shape in the bottom of the first. However, Jacksonville State escaped the inning unscathed.

Cannon settled in after the second inning, retiring the first two batters on two combined pitches before dialing up an inning-ending called strikeout.

In the bottom of the second, Christian Hall was issued a leadoff walk, Jack Culumovic lined a sharp single up the middle and Noah Thigpen was hit by a pitch to load the bases with one away. The Skyhawks came up empty after an inning-ending double play.

After Cannon stranded a runner on third base in the third, he retired the side in order in the fourth inning. Blake Davis (walk) and Thigpen (single) each reached base safely in the bottom half but UT Martin couldn't come up with a two-out hit as the score remained 1-0.

A sacrifice fly extended the Gamecock lead to 2-0 in the top of the fifth but again the Skyhawks had something cooking in the bottom half of the frame. Harford singled, stole second and advanced to third on a throwing error but Jacksonville State once again found a way to work out of trouble.

Cannon got through another clean inning in the sixth, his final full inning of work. Hall (leadoff single) and Culumovic (hit by pitch) both reached in the bottom half but it was to no avail.

Following the Gamecocks adding three unearned runs in the seventh, UT Martin got a run back in the bottom of the frame. Will Smith roped a leadoff triple off the wall in right center and soon trotted home on the aforementioned sacrifice fly to deep centerfield off the bat of Harford.

Insco stranded a pair of runners in a scoreless eighth before Jacksonville State scored the final run of the game – another unearned tally – in the top of the ninth. The Skyhawks could not generate a rally in the bottom of the ninth as Kyle Luigs closed out the three-inning save.

UT Martin and the Gamecocks wrap up their series tomorrow with a doubleheader that is slated to begin at 1 p.m. at Skyhawk Field.