| Tech denies UTM series sweep | | | 
Blackmon | | UTM bats go silent in baseball series finale
MARTIN, Tenn. — Tennessee Tech denied UT Martin its first Ohio Valley Conference baseball series sweep Sunday afternoon at Skyhawk Field by stifling the Skyhawk bats.
Tech starter Ryan Dennick pitched four-and-one-third innings and scattered three hits. Dennick was forced to leave the game because of an injury, but A.J. Kirby-Jones stepped in for three-and-two-thirds innings and only gave up one hit.
Chad Oberacker finished off the Skyhawks by tossing one inning of no-hit baseball.
UT Martin senior Will Blackmon had a double in the game as did Miles Hartsfield. Drew Mason and Mark Hartsfield had the other two Skyhawk hits.
Tech piled up 16 hits and scored four runs in the fifth inning en route to the victory. Jake New and Matt Mihoic had three hits each for Tech, while Thomas Nelson, Michael Roeder and Sean Reilly had two hits apiece.
Tech scored one run in the top of the second, but the Skyhawks answered with a run in the bottom half of the inning. Blackmon opened the frame with a double to center field and scored on a passed ball.
Tech scored two runs in the top of the third inning and never looked back.
In the top of the fifth inning the Skyhawks managed to retire the first two Tech batters, but three consecutive singles off Ryan Lantz forced UT Martin head coach Bubba Cates to bring in Shawn McElyea.
Nelson greeted the new Skyhawk hurler with a double to left field which plated two Tech runs. Roeder followed with an RBI single before the Skyhawks forced New to ground out to second base.
Tech managed to get at least one runner on base in every inning except the sixth, but stranded 13 base runners.
UTM managed one hit each in the first inning, second inning, fifth inning and eighth inning.
With the loss the Skyhawks fall to 4-12 in the OVC and 8-31 overall. Tech improves to 9-9 in the league and 29-15-1 overall.
The Skyhawks return to action today (Tuesday) when they host Belmont in a doubleheader. Action gets under way at 2 p.m. The two teams will play two seven-inning games. Blackmon‘s bat helps Skyhawks sweep twinbill from Tech
MARTIN, Tenn. — UT Martin designated hitter Will Blackmon helped lead the host Skyhawks (8-30, 4-11 OVC) to a doubleheader sweep over visiting Tennessee Tech (28-15-1, 8-9 OVC) Saturday afternoon at Skyhawk Field.
The senior was 4-for-6 at the plate with two home runs and seven RBIs as the Skyhawks won the first game 5-4 and the second game 5-0.
Blackmon went 2-for-3 with two home runs, two runs scored and four RBIs in the first game. The Skyhawks jumped out in front with four runs in the first inning and one run in the third inning and never looked back en route to their seventh victory of the season.
Blackmon’s first homer of the game, a three-run jack, just cleared the fence in left center field. The homer gave the Skyhawks a 3-0 lead. Blackmon opened the third with a solo home run that almost cleared the pine trees in right field.
Catcher Jay Howard had two hits in the game and, combined with Blackmon, the tandem had half of the Skyhawks’ eight hits in the game.
On the mound, junior Eric Walker picked up his second win of the season. He pitched six innings and gave up seven hits and four runs. Walker took a no-hitter into the top of the fourth inning.
Tech scored one run in the fourth inning and two in the fifth inning. The visitors scored one more run in the top of seventh inning, but threatened in the top of the ninth as they loaded the bases. Freshman Wes Patterson worked through the jam to pick up his second save of 2008.
Matt Mihoci led the effort for Tech at the plate with three hits in four at bats. Michael Roeder was 2-for-5 with an RBI.
In the second game, the Skyhawks scored one run in the fourth inning, one in the fifth inning and three in the sixth inning. Scott Gladstone, Miles Hartsfield and Blackmon had two hits each in the game.
Blackmon drove in the three runs in the sixth inning with a double down the left field line.
Senior Calen Sutton kept the Tech hitters in check. He scattered four hits in the game and picked up his third win of the season. Tech threatened in the top of the seventh inning, but this time around the Skyhawks managed to turn a double play and end the game.
With the two wins the Skyhawks stretched their winning streak to three games. The OVC doubleheader sweep marks the first time this season the Skyhawks have won back-to-back OVC games. | | | | |
