RELIEF PITCHING SILENCES UTM BATTERS MIDWAY THROUGH 10-5 LOSS IN SECOND OUTING VS. MIAMI (OHIO)

Saturday, February 19

Martin, Tenn.

2 p.m.

UT Martin

0-2

Miami (OH)

2-0

Miami (Ohio)

UT Martin

RELIEF PITCHING SILENCES UTM BATTERS MIDWAY THROUGH 10-5 LOSS IN SECOND OUTING VS. MIAMI (OHIO)

2/19/2022 8:06:00 PM | Baseball

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MARTIN, Tenn. – A momentous 3^rd and 4^th inning for the University of Tennessee at Martin baseball squad suddenly drifted into a lengthy absence of hits at the halfway point of Saturday afternoon's Game 2 with Miami (Ohio) at Skyhawk Field, held without a successful swing over the final four innings to take a 10-5 setback at the hands of the Redhawks.

In the second straight day of plentiful sunshine and temperatures in the low-40's, the two-man pitching core of Kenten Egbert and Nick Demonica provided the difference-maker – especially the latter throughout his excellent relief duties – able to scoop up the victory despite leaving a whopping 12 runners on the base pads.

Reaching seven hits collectively from seven different batters at the halfway point of the three-game season-opening series, UT Martin eventually drowned in the Redhawks' infield after piling up a 5-1 advantage, forced to watch as they surrendered their third inning this weekend of five runs scored by the opponent.

Sophomore southpaw Lawson Russell earned the starting job for the Skyhawks in Game 2 to denote only his third collegiate appearance, striking out five players in 69 throws while giving up three runs. The second-year lefty was then relieved by Seth Petry and Baylor Jones over the last five periods, where the Redhawks embarked on a game-ending 9-0 sprint to down UTM into an 0-2 record.

Striking first in the 2^nd stanza as they did the previous afternoon, an RBI-double from Stephen Krause enabled Miami to find home early. UT Martin quickly evened things up in the bottom of the 3^rd on Casey Harford's second hit of the weekend to score centerfielder Reid Halfacre, planting the seeds for a much more emphatic 4^th frame from the navy and orange.

Starting in the nine-hole after pinch-hitting 24 hours prior, sophomore Hunter McLean gifted the Skyhawks a jolt of energy with an RBI-single to bring home Houston Wright. Preseason All-OVC member Will Smith continued the hot exchange from there, belting a double to left center that scored McLean and catcher Blake Davis.

Gallery: (2-19-2022) BASE vs Miami (Ohio)

Little did UTM know, the offense was about to come to a screeching halt following Demonica's interjection at the mound. A right-field swing from first-baseman Wil LaFollette in the 5^th signaled the last hit of the entire game for the Skyhawks, whose mostly solid defense caved long enough for Miami to pounce as the sun began to settle.

Kickstarted by a three-run bomb from Dalton Back that brought the road squad within one, a sneakily-placed bunt by Brian Zapp tied the contest up at five each shortly after Petry entered the circle. The onslaught was already underway for the Redhawks, who powered in four more runs in that fateful 7^th inning off of a wild pitch and another three-run homer, this one from designated hitter Cole Andrews.

Yesterday's lead-off man and today's pinch-runner Cristian Tejada added insult to injury in the top of the 9^th with Miami's second conversion of a wild pitch into a home-plate slide, marking the final score at a deficit of five and the second day in a row where the Skyhawks surrendered double-digit hits. Altogether, the Redhawks have posted 25 runs since Friday to take the overall series W ahead of tomorrow's finale.

Russell, Petry, and Jones added up for 13 K's in the non-conference loss, although the batting consistency halted at an inopportune moment for UTM in what evolved into a game of missed chances at the plate.

Demonica was awarded the win for his efforts to aid Miami's comeback, not allowing a single hit over 14 batters faced. Five separate Redhawk players landed a pair of hits in the road triumph, walking nine times and picking up eight RBI.

The Skyhawks still hold the chance to salvage the season-starting series at the close of the weekend tomorrow, battling Miami for a third and final time before an eight-game road trip across the state of Alabama beginning next Tuesday. Chattahoochee Valley Community College transfer Matt Dickey will make his UT Martin debut on the mound to begin proceedings, while the Redhawks are expected to counter with a transfer of their own, former Michigan Wolverine Colin Czajkowski.

First pitch from UTM's ballpark will take place at approximately 1:00 p.m.