THREE-RUN HOME RUN BY KAITLYN KELLEY KEYS LATE RALLY TO LIFT UT MARTIN OVER TENNESSEE TECH IN OVC TOURNEY

Wednesday, May 11

Oxford, Ala.

3:40 p.m.

UT Martin

33-17

Tennessee Tech

32-21

Tennessee Tech

UT Martin

THREE-RUN HOME RUN BY KAITLYN KELLEY KEYS LATE RALLY TO LIFT UT MARTIN OVER TENNESSEE TECH IN OVC TOURNEY

5/11/2022 9:22:00 PM | Softball

Box Score Stats PDF: Game 50 Photo Gallery

OXFORD, Ala. – Trailing through the first five frames of the contest, the tide quickly changed for the University of Tennessee at Martin on one swing as Kaitlyn Kelley rocketed a go-ahead three run home run down the left field line in the bottom of the sixth inning to ultimately propel the squad to a 5-4 victory over Tennessee Tech in the opening contest of the Ohio Valley Conference Softball Championship.

The Skyhawks (33-17) were held hitless until the fifth inning when they finally broke through with a single up the middle by Maddi Long to loosen the pressure. After the first hit was on the board, UT Martin went on to score a run in the fifth and four more in the sixth inning – including the three-run homer by Kelley – to take a lead which it would not give back.

UT Martin finished the day with six hits with the pair of Paige Clark and Long leading the way with two hits and an RBI each. Kelley's lone hit packed a punch to lead the team with three RBIs.

Three different pitchers saw action in the circle with Erin Gallagher (12-3) picking up the victory after pitching 6.1 innings while striking out three and allowing three runs. Katie Dreiling pitched a third of an inning while Alexis Groet got the final out of the game to earn her second save of the season.

Gallery: (5-11-2022) Softball vs. Tennessee Tech (OVC)

Tennessee Tech (32-21) was a formidable foe after coming out of a single-elimination contest early in the day on the arm of starter Alyssa Arden. Having thrown a complete game against Eastern Illinois in the morning, she came back and pitched 5.1 strong innings against the Skyhawks before running out of gas.

The Golden Eagles were the first to jump on the board with a two-run shot breaking the scoreless tie in the third inning off the bat off Mackenzie Fitzgerald to make it a 2-0 contest.

The Skyhawks began to chip away in the fifth inning. With Long tallying the team's first single and moving over to second via a throwing error, she was replaced by pinch runner Anna Blanton. The move paid off on the second pitch of the next at bat as she came around to score on a RBI double down the left field line from Clark to cut the deficit in half.

Then in the sixth inning UT Martin took it a step further as Shyanne Sheffield worked a four-pitch walk before Kallie Pickens singled to short to put a pair of runners on the bags to set up the critical moment in the game. After passing on two straight balls, Kelley turned on the third pitch she saw and belted it over the left field wall to give the Skyhawks their first lead at 4-2. They weren't done in the inning however as another four-pitch walk – this time to Dreiling – was followed by a sacrifice bunt to move her into scoring position before a double by Long put the Skyhawks up by three.

The Golden Eagles would not go away quietly however as two singles, two walks and a hit by pitch resulted in two runs coming home to score and cutting the margin down to one run. With the bases still loaded with two outs, Groet got Buettner to foul out to Kelley who sprinted and dove into the wall close to the visitor's dugout to snag the final out and preserve the 5-4 victory.

With the win, the Skyhawks advance in the winner's bracket of the OVC Softball Championship and will take on Belmont on Thursday, May 12. First pitch from Choccolocco Park is scheduled for 10 a.m.