In a season-high 23-run output (most since April 23, 2022 (24) vs. Tennessee Tech), the University of Tennessee at Martin baseball team had hits aplenty as it knocked off preseason Ohio Valley Conference favorite Southeast Missouri 23-11 in Game 1 of the weekend series at Skyhawk Field.
UT Martin (9-12, 1-0 OVC) opened conference play outhitting the Redhawks (12-10, 0-1 OVC) 21-11. Every player in the lineup for the Skyhawks recorded a base hit with Brody Capps (career-high four hits, double, triple, three RBIs), Jordan Hudson (second consecutive game going 3-3 (career-best), three RBIs, one walk), Cameron Greene (career-high five runs scored, solo home run, three hits, three RBIs, two walks), TJ Grines (team-high and career-best six RBIs, two doubles, two walks), Tommy Koch (three runs scored, one RBI, one walk) Blaze Bell (three runs scored, one RBI) and Jonah Katsaboulas (three RBIs, one run scored) peppering the yard with multi-hit games. JT Popick (two RBIs, one run scored), Jalen Fithian (two runs scored, one walk) and Arderrius Townsend (one hit) helped add on to the offensive onslaught.
Drake Bayles started the game for UT Martin going three innings while Zach Wager (2-2, 4.2 innings pitched, one hit, three strikeouts), J. Henry Hobson (one strikeout) and Austin Gast (one inning pitched, no hits, no runs, no walks) came out of the bullpen.
SEMO got on the board first and took an early 1-0 lead before the game was knotted up by a mammoth home run by Cameron Greene to right field. The Redhawk offense then responded and assumed a three run lead going into the bottom of the second inning. A five-run home half gave the Skyhawks their first lead of the day when Koch and Hudson collected run scoring singles in back-to-back fashion. With the bases loaded, Grines brought everyone home by smacking a three-RBI double into center field to bring the score to 6-4.
SEMO’s bats had yet another response as they tied the game up at six apiece in the top of the third. Bell would be there in the bottom half for UT Martin with a sacrifice fly to right field to plate Capps which gave the Orange and Blue a 7-6 advantage.
In the top of the fourth, Wager entered the game and began a strong outing by sitting down the Redhawks 1-2-3 after SEMO got two runners on. The southpaw used a flyout, foul out and ground out to compose back-to-back shutout frames in the fifth. Three infield singles (two bunts) sparked the second five-run inning for the Skyhawks. Hudson brought in Capps on a sacrifice fly which was followed by a Greene RBI single to bring Bell home. Grines doubled once again to center field for two more UT Martin runs and Katsaboulas brought Grines around to score with a single up the middle. The Skyhawks made it a six-hit inning to take a six-run edge heading into the seventh.
Wager made it four consecutive innings without a hit allowed by forcing a flyout, groundout and capping the frame off by fanning his third Redhawk batter. UT Martin put the game out of reach in the bottom part of the inning by just needing three hits to score seven runs. A single by Hudson and wild pitch meant two more were brought in for the Skyhawks, and then Grines drew a bases loaded walk for another RBI. Katsaboulas singled to right field for a run with Capps putting the nail in the coffin by clearing the base paths on a three-run double, bringing the score to 19-6.
SEMO broke through in the eighth for their first runs since the third inning, but that was quickly silenced by four more Orange and Blue runs in the home half. Greene plated another RBI off a single for UT Martin to cross the 20-run plateau, and JT Popick would sear a ball to right field in his first plate appearance of the game that scored two more. Katsaboulas’ sacrifice fly put a bow on the Skyhawks’ performance, making it 23-11 heading to the ninth.
The Cape Girardeau native, Austin Gast came into the ninth and scored a 4-6-3 double play and a flyout to right to finish off a conference opening triumph for UT Martin. Friday’s result marks the largest margin of victory in the series’ history for the Skyhawks (first matchup played in 1993).
Games 2 and 3 will be featured in a doubleheader at noon Saturday and Sunday.
