PETRY’S GEM SETS TONE FOR SKYHAWK BASEBALL IN 5-3 TRIUMPH IN SERIES FINALE AT CENTRAL ARKANSAS

Sunday, March 12

Conway, Ark.

1 p.m.

UT Martin

5-12

Central Arkansas

7-8

UT Martin

Central Arkansas

PETRY’S GEM SETS TONE FOR SKYHAWK BASEBALL IN 5-3 TRIUMPH IN SERIES FINALE AT CENTRAL ARKANSAS

3/12/2023 5:58:00 PM | Baseball

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CONWAY, Ark. – Seth Petry spun six innings of three-hit baseball, not allowing an earned run to lift the University of Tennessee at Martin to a 5-3 victory in the final game of the Central Arkansas weekend set.

The senior right-hander from Murfreesboro, Tenn. delivered his second start with zero earned runs allowed in 2023, lowering his season ERA to 3.57 in the process. Petry equaled a career-high with six strikeouts this afternoon en route to his first victory of the spring.

J. Henry Hobson (21 of 27 pitches for strikes) was responsible for the seventh and eighth innings while Campbell Cleveland took over in the ninth and locked down his third save of the season.

Offensively, Hunter McLean continued to swing a hot bat with three hits today. Caleb Hobson went 2-for-4 with a pair of RBI's while Blaze Bell added two hits, a run scored and an RBI out of the cleanup spot. Will Smith also reached base safely three times (single, two walks) for the Skyhawks, who improve to 5-12 on the season.

UT Martin staked Petry to a 1-0 lead in the top of the second. Bell lined the first pitch he saw for a double down the left field line and advanced 90 feet on a McLean single before coming home on a sacrifice fly by Nate Self.

Petry did not allow a base hit until the seventh batter in the Bear lineup laid down a bunt single that brought in an unearned run.

The Skyhawks quickly reclaimed the lead in the top of the third with a pair of runs. Zac Rice roped a one-out double to left center and moved to third base on an Andrew Fernandez single. Rice scored on a wild pitch before an RBI groundout from Bell made the score 3-1 in favor of UT Martin.

Petry pitched out of a jam in the third as Central Arkansas loaded the bases with one away. He then buckled down for a three-pitch strikeout and an inning-ending groundout to keep the Skyhawks on top.

Petry zoned in from there, at one point retiring nine straight Bears. That included a pair of strikeouts in a scoreless fourth inning and another 3-up, 3-down frame in the fifth.

UT Martin extended its lead with two more runs in the sixth. Jack Culumovic reached on a catcher's interference as the leadoff batter and advanced to second on a McLean single. After a perfect sacrifice bunt from Self put those two in scoring position, Caleb Hobson came through with a 2-run single through the left side to push the Skyhawk advantage out to 5-1.

Two more strikeouts were added to Petry's line in the sixth, his final inning of work. J. Henry Hobson was summoned out of the bullpen and faced the minimum of three batters in the seventh, needing just five pitches in the process. J. Henry Hobson tacked on two more strikeouts in the eighth but Central Arkansas was able to scratch out one run to trim UT Martin's lead to 5-2.

The Bears scored a harmless run with two outs in the ninth but Cleveland won an eight-pitch duel with the final batter of the game, securing the ninth strikeout by the Skyhawk pitching staff.

UT Martin returns home for a Tuesday, March 14 contest against Southern Illinois. First pitch time from Skyhawk Field is set for 6 p.m.