UT Martin
18-27
Murray State
28-17
DANFORD HOMERS TWICE BUT SKYHAWK BASEBALL FALLS AT MURRAY STATE
5/1/2024 8:34:00 PM | Baseball
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Mac Danford extended his career-high home run total by taking his 12th and 13th round trips of the season, driving in three runs to pace the Skyhawk offense. It marked the third multi-home run effort in the two-year UT Martin career of the senior third baseman from Grand Ridge, Fla.
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Jalen Fithian went 3-for-4 with an RBI while Alec Beaman reached base safely three times (2-for-2 with a walk). Additionally, Zac Rice (home run) and Blaze Bell (two RBI's) contributed to the Skyhawks offensively.
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It was a staff day for UT Martin on the mound as freshman Silas Jones made his second career start. Campbell Cleveland needed just 16 pitches to breeze through 1.2 no-hit frames out of the bullpen as nine different Skyhawks saw action on the hill.
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UT Martin (18-27) took the early advantage with five runs on five straight hits to lead off the game. After Fithian doubled and Andrew Fernandez reached on a single, Will Smith laced an RBI single through the right side. Bell added on with a two-run double to right center field before Danford rocked an 0-1 pitch over the wall in center field to make it 5-0 in favor of the Skyhawks in the blink of an eye.
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The Racers (28-17) scored four runs in the bottom of the first before Rice slugged his seventh homer of the season to lead off the top of the second, making the score 6-4.
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Eli Martin (0-1) was the first UT Martin reliever summoned from the bullpen as he did not allow a hit but Murray State scored four runs in the bottom of the second.
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The Racers added a run in the third before Shawn Perez made his third appearance of the season, tossing a scoreless bottom of the fourth to keep the Skyhawks within striking distance at 9-6.
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Cleveland recorded the final two outs in the fifth after Murray State scored four runs in the inning. A leadoff triple by Beaman in the sixth led to a Fithian RBI single to give UT Martin its seventh run of the day.
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Cleveland kept his slate clean by collecting a punchout and a 6-4-3 double play in the sixth. Danford connected for his second bomb of the day in the top of the seventh, this time pulverizing a 2-2 offering over the left field wall.
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However, Murray State was able to end the contest with five runs in the bottom of the seventh.
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The Skyhawks will now shift their focus to a road Ohio Valley Conference series at Morehead State, beginning on Friday, May 3 at 4 p.m. CT.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Brown, Cade (1-0)
L: Martin, Eli (0-1)
Batting:
2B: Fithian, Jalen 1 ; Bell, Blaze 1
3B: Beaman, Alec 1
HR: Danford, Mac 2 ; Rice, Zac 1
RBI: Fithian, Jalen 1 ; Smith, Will 1 ; Bell, Blaze 2 ; Danford, Mac 3 ; Rice, Zac 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Fithian, Jalen 1 ; Fernandez, Andrew 1 ; Smith, Will 1 ; Bell, Blaze 1 ; Danford, Mac 2 ; Beaman, Alec 1 ; Rice, Zac 1
SB: Fithian, Jalen 1
Batting:
HR: Vogel, Drew 1 ; Hawthorne, Riley 1 ; Howell, Taylor 1
RBI: Vogel, Drew 3 ; Hawthorne, Riley 3 ; Shelton, Preston 1 ; Stokely, David 1 ; Garner, Carson 1 ; Estes, Parker 1 ; Hogart, Jonathan 1 ; Howell, Taylor 4
SF: Hawthorne, Riley 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Vogel, Drew 2 ; Hawthorne, Riley 2 ; Garner, Carson 2 ; Hogart, Jonathan 4 ; Tauken, Dan 1 ; Howell, Taylor 2 ; Rudd, Dalton 2 ; Orberson, John 3
SB: Hogart, Jonathan 3 ; Orberson, John 1
HBP: Hogart, Jonathan 1 ; Rudd, Dalton 1 ; Orberson, John 1
