SKYHAWK SOFTBALL GOES 11 INNINGS AGAINST MEMPHIS BEFORE FALLING 7-6

Friday, March 1

Memphis, Tenn.

3 p.m.

UT Martin

8-8

Memphis

2-13

UT Martin

Memphis

SKYHAWK SOFTBALL GOES 11 INNINGS AGAINST MEMPHIS BEFORE FALLING 7-6

3/1/2024 10:44:00 PM | Softball

Box Score Stats PDF

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – The University of Tennessee at Martin softball team opened its stay at the 901 Classic Tournament with a lengthy 11-inning show down with tournament host Memphis before ultimately coming up just short by a final score of 7-6.

The Skyhawks (8-8) jumped out to an early lead before having to dig themselves out of a second-inning hole. After mounting a rally to tie up the contest in the sixth inning, neither team could capitalize on scoring opportunities until the Tigers finally scratched out the game-winning run in the 11th inning.

While the offense tallied 12 hits in the contest, it was the pitching of senior Brooklynn Linneman which kept the Skyhawks in the game. After entering the game in the bottom of the second inning, Linneman proceeded to strike out five and throw 132 pitches over the next nine innings of work.

With a strong pitching performance at the forefront, senior Kaci Fuller was one of eight players to record a base knock. The senior outfielder led the way by going 4-for-6 at the plate with three singles and a double while driving in one run. Senior Avry Blume and Katie Dreiling each drove in a pair of RBIs while Annie Gutierrez picked up her eighth RBI of the season.

Memphis (2-13) tallied 12 hits on the afternoon with three players recording three hits in the lineup. Arianna Cox-Cole, McKaylee Polk and Zoe Adebayo each had three-hit games while Polk led the team with three RBIs. In the circle, Abigail Morgan allowed three earned runs in five innings while Taniyah Brown allowed just one in six frames.

UT Martin jumped out to an early lead with three runs in the opening frame. Fuller led off the game with a double to center before coming home to score a few pitches later via an infield error. The inning continued with a walk to Alli Robinson before Dreiling and Gutierrez drove in runs on back-to-back at-bats to put the Skyhawks on top early.

Memphis scratched back a run in the bottom half of the inning as an RBI-single by Adebayo put the Tigers on the board. The home squad wasn't done there however, as they charged back in the bottom of the second inning to score five runs and take a big lead. A pair of singles by Madison Berner and Khamiyah Brown gave the Tigers the lead before a three-run bomb by Polk gave the squad some breathing room.

The score remained the same until the top of the sixth inning when the Skyhawks rallied to tie the game. A pair of leadoff singles kicked off the frame for UT Martin from Anna Hazlewood and Dylan Scott before an RBI-single by Fuller and a pair of bases loaded walks by Avry Blume and Dreiling knotted up the contest at six runs each.

After tying the game, UT Martin had the go-ahead chance in several innings down the stretch, stranding 10 runners over the next five frames. While opportunities presented themselves for both teams, Memphis was the first team to cash in a chance as Adebayo ended the game in the bottom of the seventh inning on a single up the middle to plate the game-winning run in a 7-6 marathon.

UT Martin returns to action on Saturday, March 2 when playing two games in the 901 Classic Tournament. The Skyhawks are slated to play Jackson State at 11 a.m. before squaring off against Memphis again at 4 p.m.