UTM BASEBALL FINISHES OUT ROAD SWING IN CONWAY WITH SUNDAY DOUBLEHEADER

Sunday, March 13

Conway, Ark.

11 a.m.

UT Martin

5-8

Creighton

6-6

Creighton

UT Martin

UTM BASEBALL FINISHES OUT ROAD SWING IN CONWAY WITH SUNDAY DOUBLEHEADER

3/13/2022 7:26:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2 PDF BOX SCORE - Game 1 PDF BOX SCORE - Game 2

CONWAY, Ark. – Senior shortstop Casey Harford gathered a grand total of six RBI while the University of Tennessee at Martin baseball squad counted 14 runs on Sunday afternoon, engaging in a non-conference doubleheader against both Creighton and Central Arkansas once the previous evening's snowstorm had whittled away.

Coming up on the short end of a 15-4 decision against the Bluejays in the programs' first encounter since 2008 to begin the afternoon, the Skyhawks were bested slightly in the nightcap during a high-octane scoring affair, as the Bears eked out a 13-10 win that avenged a UTM shutout victory two days prior.

Reaching 20 hits as a unit to bring their 2022 total up to 108, the navy and orange now possess an overall record of 5-9 awaiting Tuesday's return home versus Southern Illinois. First pitch against the Salukis at Skyhawk Field will take place at 5:00 p.m.

Game 1 – Creighton def. UT Martin 15-4

In a contest featuring four home runs from both sides together, both Harford and sophomore first-baseman Wil LaFollette took the ball past the outfield perimeter against Creighton, accounting for all four of UTM's runs that also scored Will Smith and Jack Culumovic.

The bottom of the 5^th and 7^th innings marked the Skyhawks' longshots – two of the team's three homers on Sunday – while three separate UTM performers reached more than one hit. Smith, Harford, and catcher Chance Merithew added up for a 6/10 showing at the plate, powered by the team's 12^th and 13^th HR's of the semester.

Junior righty Seth Petry was granted the start in the teams' first meeting in 14 years, pitching 4.1 innings on 80 tosses. Noah Walters, Warren Lee, Eli Martin, and J. Henry Hobson provided relief on the mound as UTM transitioned into a second matchup with Central Arkansas later on in the afternoon.

Game 2 – Central Arkansas def. UT Martin 13-10

Evolving into a shootout over the course of the Skyhawks' final game in Conway, UT Martin embarked on a 7-0 scoring run that lasted four frames before ultimately falling shy of the win. Accounting for seven of the roster's 12 hits, the trio of Harford, Smith, and second-baseman Alec Beaman administered the biggest highlights of the contest (including the first career homer from Beaman in the top of the 4^th).

Scoring thrice in the 3^rd period in the second half of Sunday's DH, Merithew registered the game's first run after previously getting on base with a single, sprinting to home on a ground-out to shortstop. A two-RBI double from Harford – bringing Smith and centerfielder Benny DeTrude around the bases – increased the visitors' lead to 3-0.

Beaman's first collegiate bomb – and the team's 14^th of the year from 10 different players – pushed the advantage to 4-1 in the top of the 4^th. The next two runs of the contest came off the bat of Harford yet again (scoring Smith both times), while the avalanche continued in the 7^th courtesy of a two-RBI laser from Beaman and a triple by designated hitter Houston Wright.

The 7-0 burst was topped off by a base-hit down the middle from third-baseman Hunter McLean that brought the lead to 10-1. By the time the Skyhawks' turn at-bat concluded in the 7^th, they had registered their third five-run inning of 2022.

UTM starter Matt Dickey ended his day by only letting three hits get by in four full innings of work, relieved by Baylor Jones, Trey Ricko, Blake Davis, and Tucker Reed following six strikeouts.

Switching gears to Tuesday's matchup with Southern Illinois, the Salukis will bring a 13-3 record with them to Martin for the mid-week showdown.