SKYHAWK BASEBALL SOARS TO SEASON-OPENING DOUBLEHEADER SWEEP OVER BELMONT

Saturday, February 18

Nashville, Tenn.

1 p.m.

UT Martin

1-0

Belmont

0-1

UT Martin

Belmont

SKYHAWK BASEBALL SOARS TO SEASON-OPENING DOUBLEHEADER SWEEP OVER BELMONT

2/18/2023 10:55:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2 PDF Boxscore (Game 1)PDF Boxscore (Game 2)

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Timely hitting and clutch pitching throughout the day resulted in an impressive doubleheader sweep for the University of Tennessee at Martin baseball squad, who defeated Belmont by scores of 4-2 and 7-3 at ES Rose Park.

Today marked the first time since 2010 that the Skyhawks started their season with a pair of wins in a doubleheader.

As a team, UT Martin's offense banged out 15 hits today – led by a perfect 5-for-5, 3-RBI effort from newcomer Andrew Fernandez in the nightcap. Fernandez's five-hit effort was the first five-hit performance by a Skyhawk since March 27, 2021. Zac Rice was also 3-for-7 with a pair of RBI's at the dish today while Caleb Hobson (two hits, two walks) was an on-base machine. Alec Beaman also went deep in the frontend of the doubleheader for UT Martin, who topped a Bruin squad that won the Ohio Valley Conference regular season championship last spring.

On the hill, Jordan Armstrong drew the start in Game 1 and earned the win after whiffing eight batters over five innings, conceding just two runs on five hits. Tristan Walton started the backend of the doubleheader and also was awarded the victory, allowing only two runs on five hits with four strikeouts over six frames. The bullpen duo of Campbell Cleveland (two innings in Game 1) and Choyce Diffey (three frames in Game 2) was flawless as they each collected saves after combining to concede zero earned runs over five innings of work.

The Skyhawks will look to keep the momentum going tomorrow as UT Martin and Belmont meet up for another doubleheader. First pitch for a seven-inning Game 1 is set for 1 p.m. with a regular nine-inning contest to follow.

Game 1
Pitted against reigning OVC Pitcher of the Year Andy Bean, the Skyhawks came out victorious after strong pitching performances of their own.

The Bruins got on the scoreboard first with a run in the first inning but Armstrong quickly settled in, striking out a pair of batters in each of his first three frames.

UT Martin got on the scoreboard in the top of the third as Beaman launched the third pitch he saw for a homer that cleared the left field wall. It was the second career round tripper for the Franklin, Tenn. native as he delivered the Skyhawks' first hit of the 2023 campaign.

Following Beaman's home run, Rice singled and Will Smith followed with a walk to put a pair of UT Martin runners on the basepaths. The speedy Rice stole third base and scampered home on an error by the catcher, giving the Skyhawks a lead they would not concede the rest of the way. Mac Danford later singled in the inning to put men on the corners before Smith came in to score on a wild pitch to push UT Martin's lead out to 3-1.

Belmont got one run back in the third but Armstrong was electric over his final two frames – not allowing a ball out of the infield during that span. The righty from McDonough, Ga. retired the side in order on just eight pitches in the fourth and received an inning-ending 6-4-3 double play to wrap up the fifth, also needing only eight pitches in that frame.

Meanwhile, the Skyhawk bats tacked on another run in the top of the fifth to make the score 4-2. Rice led off the inning with a single to centerfield and came home two batters later on an RBI off the bat of Smith.

Cleveland then made his UT Martin debut and easily converted a six-out save. The 6-3, 210-pounder posted a strikeout and induced a pair of flyouts in the sixth before closing out the seventh with a groundout and pair of flyouts.

Game 2
Walton was in cruise control for a majority of his start, allowing the Skyhawks to take both ends of the doubleheader. The Lawson State Community College product sat down the first six Bruins he faced on 20 combined pitches.

UT Martin grabbed a 1-0 lead in the top of the third as Hobson drew a one-out walk and flew home on a Fernandez double to centerfield.

Belmont came back to even the score at 1-1 in the bottom of the third but the Skyhawks sent nine batters to the plate in a four-run fourth. Jackson Cooke was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning before a two-out rally ensued. Hobson smoked the first pitch he saw for a double to right center before Rice came through with a two-run single. Fernandez then singled before back-to-back RBI singles from Danford and Blaze Bell extended UT Martin's lead out to 5-1.

That run support was more than enough for Walton, who whiffed a pair of batters in the bottom of the fourth and sat the Bruins down in order in the fifth.

The Skyhawks tacked on a run in the sixth when Fernandez sprinted around the bases for an inside-the-park home run, providing UT Martin with a 6-1 advantage.

Belmont scored once in the sixth before Diffey took over on the mound during the following inning. The Sallis, Miss. native held the Bruins off the scoreboard in the seventh, recording a strikeout for his first out in a Skyhawk uniform.

UT Martin added an insurance run in the eighth. Hobson fought off an 0-2 pitch for a single up the middle and soon moved up 90 feet on a stolen base. Fernandez continued his historic day with his fifth base-knock – a single through the right side to plate Hobson and make the score 7-2.

Belmont was able to push across an unearned run in the eighth but that was as close as it would get the rest of the way. Diffey did a masterful job of pitching out of a potential jam in the ninth, overpowering the Bruins with three strikeouts – including the No. 2 and No. 3 hitters in the Belmont lineup with the bases loaded to end the game.