UT MARTIN BASEBALL PICKS UP SECOND STRAIGHT OVC SERIES WIN WITH 10-6 TRIUMPH OVER SIUE

Sunday, April 2

Martin, Tenn.

1 p.m.

UT Martin

SIUE

UT MARTIN BASEBALL PICKS UP SECOND STRAIGHT OVC SERIES WIN WITH 10-6 TRIUMPH OVER SIUE

4/2/2023 6:17:00 PM | Baseball

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MARTIN, Tenn. – Senior Jack Culumovic blasted a first-inning grand slam and the University of Tennessee at Martin baseball squad never looked back, defeating Ohio Valley Conference rival SIUE by a 10-6 margin at Skyhawk Field.

Making his first start since March 18, Culumovic's majestic grand slam gave him a career-high four RBI's as the Simpsonville, SC native clubbed his second round-tripper of the year. Mac Danford and Cameron Brady also went deep for UT Martin (9-20), who improved to 4-2 in OVC play for just the second time in school history (first time since 2006).

Hunter McLean (2-for-3, two runs scored) joined Brady (2-for-3, two runs scored, two RBI's) and Danford (2-for-3, two RBI's, one run scored) with multi-hit outings. Will Smith also scored a pair of runs for the Skyhawks.

Eric Steensma (2-1) went six innings today for UT Martin, striking out five batters while scattering six hits with just one walk. J. Henry Hobson picked up his second save of the 2023 campaign after going the final three innings, firing 32 of his 46 pitches for strikes.

After Steensma breezed through a scoreless top of the first, the Skyhawks put up a four-spot in the bottom half. Andrew Fernandez, Smith and McLean all drew walks to load the bases for Culumovic, who deposited the eighth pitch of his at-bat beyond the wall in right center.

Steensma struck out the first two batters he faced in the second, retiring the side in order. UT Martin added another run in the bottom half when Danford – who won Game 2 of the series with a walk-off hit in the ninth inning – accounted for a solo homer to make the score 5-0.

The Cougars (16-10, 2-4 OVC) got on the scoreboard in the third inning but the Skyhawks responded with three more runs in the bottom of the frame. Jonah Wichman was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning and advanced 90 feet on a McLean single. In his next plate appearance after the grand slam, Culumovic executed a perfect sacrifice bunt to move two runners into scoring position. That allowed Nate Self (groundout), Brady (double) and Danford (single) to each pick up RBI's and push UT Martin's lead out to 8-1.

Steensma blanked SIUE for each of the next two innings, pitching around a leadoff double that was lost in the sun in the fourth with a pair of strikeouts. He then induced a double play and needed just a dozen pitches to get through a scoreless fifth.

Brady – Steensma's battery mate – extended the Skyhawk advantage out to 9-1 with a solo homer in the bottom of the fifth for his first longball of the season.

The Cougars scored three times in the sixth but UT Martin got one run back in the bottom half. Smith singled and stole his fourth bag of the season before coming around to score on a Wichman single.

Hobson entered the game in the seventh and promptly retired the first eight batters he faced. The sophomore righty from Fort Myers, Fla. did not allow a ball out of the infield in the seventh and needed just 10 pitches to induce three more groundouts in the eighth. He then struck out a pair of batters in the ninth to seal the Skyhawk victory.

UT Martin goes on the road for all four games next week, traveling to in-state foe Austin Peay on Tuesday, April 4 before heading to Little Rock for an OVC series from Thursday, April 6 through Saturday, April 8.