| Skyhawks need late rally to win diamond home opener, 6-5 |
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Posted: Thursday, February 26, 2009 12:57 pm
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Nelson
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MARTIN, Tenn. — Junior Ty Nelson had three hits, including the game-winning single in the bottom of the seventh inning, to lead the University of Tennessee at Martin (2-2) to a 6-5 come-from-behind victory over visiting Southern Illinois University Carbondale (1-4) Tuesday afternoon at Skyhawk Field.
The Skyhawks scored one run in the first inning when Miles Hartsfield plated Mark Hartsfield with a single to right field.
SIU roughed up Skyhawk starter Lin Cates in the top of the second inning and scored four runs. Cates gave up four walks and two hits in the inning. SIU scored one more run in the top of the third inning off Cates.
Senior Adam Bowker faced one batter in the third inning and got the Skyhawks out of a jam. Bowker pitched 4.2 innings and gave up two hits and one walk. He struck out four and earned his first win of the season.
“Adam did a good job of getting people out for us,” Skyhawk head coach Bubba Cates said.
Sophomore Cody Terry drove in one run in the fourth for the Skyhawks with a single to center field. Miles Hartsfield plated another Skyhawk run in the fifth with a sacrifice fly, and Nelson made it a one-run game, 5-4, in the sixth inning when he led off with his second home run of the season, a line drive over the left field fence.
Mark Hartsfield tied the game in the seventh inning with his leadoff home run, his first of the season. Nelson drove in the go-ahead run with a single that scored Wes Patterson from third base. Patterson reached on a walk and advanced to third on Miles Hartsfield’s single.
SIU threatened in the eighth inning when Chris Serritella doubled and advanced to third base on a ground ball. Freshman Jordan Owen worked out of the jam by getting Tony Lepore out on a grounder to shortstop.
The Skyhawks head coach pulled Owen in the ninth inning and opted to close with Patterson, who recorded four saves in 2008. Patterson struggled as SIU put runners on second and third with no outs. The Skyhawks recorded the first out of the inning when SIU’s Mark Kelly lined out to Mark Hartsfield at third base. The Skyhawks intentionally walked the next batter to set up the force out at any base. Patterson settled down to get Jordan Sivertsen who popped up to Scott Gladstone behind second base. Patterson claimed his first save of the season and the Skyhawks second win of the year when he got SIU designated hitter Tyler Bullock to hit a routine grounder to shortstop where Terry fielded the ball and made the throw to first in time for the third out of the game.
The Skyhawks had 12 hits in the game. Nelson and Patterson had three hits each, while Mark and Miles Hartsfield added two hits each.
“We did a lot of good things today,” Cates said. |
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