WEDNESDAY'S SCORES
@UT Martin 10, Toledo 6
Indiana State 7,
@Southeast Missouri 4
UT MARTIN 10, TOLEDO 6
MARTIN, Tenn. - A six-run sixth inning for the University of Tennessee at Martin baseball squad buoyed the Skyhawks to an impressive 10-6 triumph over Toledo this afternoon.
UT Martin set season-highs in scoring (10 runs) and walks drawn (10) while the Skyhawk pitching staff established a season-best with 11 strikeouts. In the process, UT Martin improved to 4-10 overall and forced a series split against a Rockets squad that finished third in the Mid-American Conference last spring.
Will Smith went 3-for-4 with a walk, two runs scored and two RBI’s while Hunter McLean reached base safely in all five plate appearances (3-for-3, walk, hit by pitch). Nate Self delivered the big blow with a grand slam in the bottom of the sixth while the trio of Jack Culumovic, Blaze Bell and Jackson Cooke each scored two runs apiece. Andrew Fernandez also had a two-hit day with a walk as the Skyhawks outhit Toledo by a 10-9 margin.
On the hill, reliever Tucker Reed (1-2) earned the victory after tossing two shutout innings with a pair of strikeouts. Campbell Cleveland fanned two batters in a scoreless ninth while Choyce Diffey and Colin Millar also made appearances out of the bullpen today. That quartet backed up starting pitcher Zach Wager, who conceded two earned runs on three hits while whiffing four batters over a career-best four innings.
Wager recorded a pair of strikeouts in the first frame but the Rockets (6-5) jumped out to a 2-0 advantage. The freshman out of Columbus, Ind. settled in and retired seven of eight batters during one stretch, including retiring the side in order on just 11 pitches in the top of the second.
That momentum allowed UT Martin to even the score at 2-all in the bottom half of the second. Smith singled through the left side to lead off the inning before Cooke drew a walk. Smith then crossed the plate off an error on a sacrifice bunt attempt by Self and Cooke came around to score on a McLean single through the left side.
Wager once again put up a zero in the third, working around a harmless two-out single to get through the inning on only nine pitches.
The Skyhawks tacked on two more runs in the third. Culumovic was issued a leadoff walk and scampered home on a double just inside the third base line off the bat of Bell. Following a pitching change, Smith ripped a double to left field to plate Bell and give UT Martin a 4-2 lead.
Toledo scored an unearned run in the fourth and added two runs in the fifth to go back on top by a 5-4 margin.
That lead was very brief as the Skyhawks sent 11 batters to the plate in the bottom of the sixth. Fernandez singled with one away to start the rally before Culumovic and Bell each drew back-to-back four-pitch walks. After the Rockets summoned another pitcher out of the bullpen, Smith lined an RBI single to left to knot the score at 5-5. Cooke was then hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to bring in the go-ahead run before Self’s blast – a no-doubter that cleared the left field wall by plenty for a grand slam.
Reed, who had already held Toledo scoreless in the sixth, returned for the seventh and remained sharp – getting a called strikeout for the final out of the frame.
The Rockets got one run back in the eighth but Millar stranded the bases loaded with an inning-ending foulout to third base. Cleveland came on in the ninth and was filthy, compiling a pair of called strikeouts to give UT Martin the victory.
INDIANA STATE 7, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 4
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - Southeast Missouri (4-10) dropped the series finale to Indiana State (4-8) on Wednesday afternoon by a final score of 7-4.
SEMO registered seven hits in the contest, led by Lincoln Andrews and Josh Cameron who went 2-for-5 and 2-for-4, respectively.
Andrews finished with 2 RBI, Cameron recorded just one RBI in Wednesday's loss.
RHP #16 Payton Lawrence started the contest for SEMO, Lawrence threw four solid innings, allowing just four hits over 18 Sycamore batters. The right-hander recorded five strikeouts in the outing.
Back-to-back games the Sycamores got on the board first, plating two runs in the game's first inning. A sacrifice-fly by Parker Stinson scored Josue Urdaneta to give Indiana State a one-run lead.
First baseman Luis Hernandez scored on a Lawrence wild pitch as Indiana State built a two-run lead before the Redhawks came to the plate.
An error on first baseman Luis Hernandez (ISU) off the bat of Ty Stauss led to the Redhawks first run of the game in the bottom half of the first.
The Sycamores plated their third run of the game in the top of the third inning off a Mike Sears single to left field that plated Urdaneta.
The Redhawks, trailing through the first five innings, rallied back to take the lead in the 7th inning as nine Redhawks hit in the inning.
Josh Cameron drew a bases-loaded walk to score Chance Resetich. The Redhawks designated hitter Lincoln Andrews chopped a ball up the middle of the Sycamore infield that found its way into center field to plate Jevon Mason and Danny Sperling to give the Redhawks a 4-3 lead.
An Indiana State three-run home run off the bat of shortstop Randal Diaz gave the Sycamores a 7-4 lead with just over an inning to play.
The Sycamores tacked on a ninth inning insurance run as Indiana State would hang on to sweep the series.
LHP Logan Katen (0-1) took the loss in the contest.
The Redhawks fell to 0-9 all-time against the Sycamores following the loss on Wednesday.