Skyhawks pound out 31st win Posted: Friday, April 20, 2012 12:00 pm
UT Martin celebrated Student-Athlete Day at Bettye Giles Field in Skyhawk Park with a 9-1 softball victory over Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Tuesday.
Sophomore Morgan Lewis and junior Becca Williams, respectively batting fifth and sixth in the Skyhawk lineup, drove in four runs each.
Lewis doubled in the first inning to left centerfield to score two runs. Williams doubled in the third inning and plated another Skyhawk run.
With a three-run lead, the Skyhawks exploded for six runs in the fourth inning.
Senior Jenny Bain opened the scoring barrage with an RBI double. Lewis singled and scored two more Skyhawk runs and Williams hit her first home run of the season, a three-run shot to left field, to add three more runs to the Skyhawks tally.
Arkansas-Pine Bluff’s Jasmine Hardwrick hit a solo home run in the top of the fifth inning to spoil the Skyhawks shutout.
Chelsea Jones picked up the win in the circle for the Skyhawks. She improved to 21-6 on the year, setting a new school record for most victories in a single season.
The senior pitched four innings, gave up two hits and struck out five.
Freshman Casey Vincent pitched one inning. She gave up the home run, but struck out the side to end the game in the fifth inning.
The Skyhawks are now 31-15 on the season. Arkansas-Pine Bluff falls to 5-33.
UT Martin will return to action Saturday when they play a doubleheader at Morehead State. Action gets under way at noon. The two teams will play a single game at noon on Sunday.
EXTRA BASES: The Skyhawks are now 13-2 when they lead after the first inning and 15-2 when they score in the first inning. … The Skyhawks are 5-0 when they score nine runs in a game. … UTM is 1-2 against teams from Arkansas. … Junior Leah Taylor stole her first base in 11 days against Arkansas-Pine Bluff. She has successfully stolen 26-of-31 attempts. … Bain and sophomore Kayla Wade extended their hitting streaks. Bain has now hit safely in 15 games, while Wade has at least one hit in 10 consecutive games.
BASEBALL
SIU 10, UTM 3
CARBONDALE, Ill. — UT Martin baseball team led through six-and-a-half innings, but the Salukis scored eight unanswered runs in their final two at-bats to claim a 10-3 win at Abe Martin Field.
Offensively, Matt Young, Nico Zych and Jake Deason each drove in a run to lead the Skyhawks (10-26).
Jordan Owen, Ben Campbell and Sonny Mastromatteo scored for UTM, who held leads of 2-1 and 3-2 before a five-run bottom of the seventh propelled Southern Illinois to the victory.
The Skyhawks scored a pair of runs in the top of the fourth. Owen reached on a two-base error to lead off the inning, then Campbell drew a walk to put two men aboard the basepaths.
After a Ben Brewer sacrifice bunt advanced both runners 90 feet, Young tied the game with a sacrifice fly to straightaway centerfield.
Zych then followed with a single to left field, bringing in Campbell to provide Kelley a 2-1 lead.
Making just his third start of the season, Danny Kelley (0-3) provided an inspired outing, allowing just three earned runs in six-plus innings.
The senior right-hander mostly sailed through the first six innings before running into trouble in the fateful seventh inning.
UT Martin will resume Ohio Valley Conference play this weekend when it heads to SIU-Edwardsville for a three-game set on Friday through Sunday. Published in The WCP 4.19.12 | 
