SKYHAWK BASEBALL FALLS IN 10-6 WALKOFF AT CENTRAL ARKANSAS

Friday, March 10

Conway, Ark.

4 p.m.

UT Martin

4-11

Central Arkansas

6-7

UT Martin

Central Arkansas

SKYHAWK BASEBALL FALLS IN 10-6 WALKOFF AT CENTRAL ARKANSAS

3/10/2023 8:28:00 PM | Baseball

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CONWAY, Ark. – The University of Tennessee at Martin baseball squad carried a lead into the bottom of the eighth inning today but the Central Arkansas Bears ended the game with six unanswered runs to win in walkoff fashion.

The Skyhawks led from the fourth through seventh innings thanks in large part to redshirt junior right-hander Eric Steensma, who mowed down Central Arkansas for a season-high four innings out of the bullpen. The Western Springs, Ill. native did not concede a run and scattered just three hits in his most successful outing of the 2023 campaign.

Jack Culumovic posted his third multi-hit game of the season this afternoon as he went 2-for-5 with an RBI. Slade Taylor drove in a pair of runs while Nate Self scored twice and had an RBI. Caleb Hobson also scored a run and collected an RBI out of the leadoff spot for UT Martin (4-11).

On the mound, Tristan Walton made the start and struck out four batters over three innings. The junior lefty recorded a pair of strikeouts in the first but Central Arkansas (6-7) was able to put two runs on the scoreboard.

The Skyhawks tied the game up in the top of the second as Blaze Bell drew a leadoff walk and advanced to third on a Will Smith double. Self lifted a sacrifice fly out to left field to score Bell before Taylor came up with a big two-out RBI single that plated Smith and evened the score at 2-2.

Walton stranded a runner on third base with back-to-back strikeouts to complete the second inning, allowing UT Martin to take a lead in its next at-bat.

Hobson was hit by a pitch to lead off the top of the third and soon stole second. He trotted home on an RBI double down the left field line off the bat of Culumovic, tilting the score to 3-2 in favor of the Skyhawks.

The Bears reclaimed the lead with two runs in the third but once again, UT Martin had an answer in its next turn to the plate.

Hunter McLean ripped a leadoff double into the gap in left center and later stole third base after a walk was issued to Self. Taylor brought in McLean on an error off a sacrifice bunt that made the score 4-4. Two batters later, Self scored on a groundout to give the Skyhawks a 5-4 advantage.

Steensma entered the contest in the fourth and immediately silenced the Central Arkansas bats. He stranded one runner in both the fourth and fifth innings before retiring the side in order on only 12 pitches in the sixth. He then gutted his way through the seventh, stranding the bases loaded with an inning-ending flyout to center.

The Skyhawks added an insurance run in the top of the eighth. McLean battled back from an 0-2 count to draw a walk before Self guided a single through the left side. Taylor laid down a perfect sacrifice bunt to move both runners up 90 feet before Hobson generated a sacrifice fly, handing UT Martin a 6-4 lead heading into the bottom of the eighth.

However, the Bears tied the game in the eighth and won the game in the ninth after a two-out grand slam after Choyce Diffey (0-1) was one out away from sending the contest into extra innings.

The Skyhawks will look to even the series tomorrow at noon as righty Jordan Armstrong (1-1, 4.50 ERA) is set to square off against right-hander Jesse Barker (1-1, 4.41) on ESPN+.