UT MARTIN BASEBALL SWEEPS TWO-TIME DEFENDING OVC CHAMPION SOUTHEAST MISSOURI WITH WALKOFF DOUBLE ON SENIOR DAY

Sunday, May 14

Martin, Tenn.

1 p.m.

UT Martin

21-31, 14-10

Southeast Missouri

26-26, 14-7

Southeast Missouri

UT Martin

UT MARTIN BASEBALL SWEEPS TWO-TIME DEFENDING OVC CHAMPION SOUTHEAST MISSOURI WITH WALKOFF DOUBLE ON SENIOR DAY

5/14/2023 8:23:00 PM | Baseball

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MARTIN, Tenn. – A two-out double by Andrew Fernandez in the bottom of the ninth scored Zac Rice all the way from first base and capped off an impressive end to the Ohio Valley Conference schedule for the University of Tennessee at Martin, who completed a sweep over Southeast Missouri with a 5-4 victory.

One day after the Skyhawks set a new program record for OVC victories in a single season, the squad added one more to the win column as they wrap up the league slate with a 14-10 record. Although it will have to wait until the rest of the league concludes the regular season next week for its exact seed, UT Martin has already clinched a top-four spot in the upcoming OVC Championship tournament, which will be held at Mtn Dew Park in Marion, Ill. on May 24-27.

The Skyhawk pitching staff once again was on top of their game today, holding a Redhawk offense that entered the series as the league leader in on-base percentage and RBI's to just five hits on the day. That effort helped UT Martin sweep the Redhawks for the first time since 2006 and extend its winning streak out to six games – the longest for the program since another six-game stretch from April 19-30, 2011.

Choyce Diffey began the game – making an emergency start after probable starter Eric Steensma was a late scratch – and retired the first seven batters in order. He eventually tied a career-high in both innings pitched (three) and strikeouts (four) during his first career start.

Five Skyhawk relievers then combined to allow just two hits over the final six frames. Colin Millar (0.1 innings), Baylor Jones (2.2 innings) and Tucker Reed (0.1 innings) all had scoreless appearances while Eli Martin did not allow a hit in two frames and Zach Wager got two outs in the ninth. Reed (2-2) got the final out of the ninth and received the win for UT Martin, who is now 21-31 overall.

Rice went 4-for-4 with three runs scored and two RBI's, including a go-ahead solo homer in the bottom of the seventh. After Southeast Missouri tied the game in the top of the ninth, he singled with one away to set up Fernandez, who smoked his third hit – and second double – of the contest the opposite way for his third RBI of the game.

Gallery: (5-14-2023) Baseball vs. SEMO (Senior Day)

Diffey was the story early on as the hard-throwing righty out of Sallis, Miss. simply overpowered the Redhawks during the first three innings. He whiffed three of the first four batters he faced and stranded a runner at third base in the top of the third with another strikeout.

The Skyhawks got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the third. Rice and Hobson led off the inning with back-to-back singles through the left side before Fernandez skipped a line-drive double just inside the third base line to plate a pair.

Southeast Missouri scored on a sacrifice fly and groundout in the top of the fourth to even the score at 2-2. UT Martin quickly reclaimed the advantage in the bottom half as a Rice double into the gap in left center scored Cameron Brady, who reached on a two-out infield single.

Another sacrifice fly off the Redhawk bat equaled the score at 3-all in the top of the fifth. Millar and Jones combined to hold Southeast Missouri scoreless in the sixth as Jones stranded the bases loaded following a strikeout on a 3-2 count.

Jones needed only 10 pitches to get through a perfect top of the seventh. Three pitches later, Rice launched his solo homer – the sixth of the season for the junior rightfielder out of Fort Mitchell, Ala.

Jones once again got out of a potential jam in the eighth. After quickly getting two outs, a Redhawk double put the tying run in scoring position. Jones ended the threat by inducing a groundout to first base to end the inning.

After Southeast Missouri tied the contest at 4-4 in the top of the ninth, Reed needed just two pitches to strand a runner on the basepaths. That set up Fernandez's heroics as the Skyhawks won their second OVC contest in walkoff fashion in 2023 (also accomplishing that feat against SIUE on April 1).

Before the OVC Championship tournament begins, UT Martin puts the finishing touches on the regular season with a three-game series at Illinois on May 18-20.