Ole Miss too strong for Owen, UT Martin

Senior Jordan Owen racked up three hits — including his fifth home run of the 2012 season — at Ole Miss, but the No. 14-ranked Rebels scored early and pulled away late for a 20-4 win over UT Martin in baseball action Tuesday night at Swayze Field.
The game marked Owen’s seventh multi-hit effort of the season and third three-hit outing in 13 games this year. He now has hit safely in all but one game in 2012, raising his season totals to a .440 batting average, 13 RBI and 11 runs scored, all team-highs.
Freshman Sonny Mastro-matteo continued his recent surge by driving in a run, while Grant Glasser and Chase Okey also scored runs for the Skyhawks (3-10).
Matt Haynes, Jake Deason and Byron Johann added one hit apiece for UT Martin.
Owen reached third base on an error in the first inning, but the Skyhawks couldn’t bring him home. Ole Miss tallied three runs in the bottom of the first and two more in the second to take an early 5-0 lead.
UT Martin then chalked up a run in each of the next three innings. Glasser drew a one-out walk in the top of the third and came around to score on an Owen double down the left field line, making the score 5-1.
Ole Miss tacked on two more runs in the bottom of the third, but the Skyhawks got one run back in the fourth. Johann laced a leadoff single to centerfield and following a walk to Deason, Mastromatteo drove a 3-0 pitch for a single through the right side, plating Johann and cutting UT Martin’s deficit to 7-2.
The Skyhawks opened the fifth with a pair of hits, eventually creeping back within four runs. Okey doubled to right field and two pitches later, Owen singled to third base, putting baserunners on the corners with no outs.
Okey came around to score on a double play to make the score 7-3.
The Rebels then scored four unanswered runs before the top of the eighth, when Owen went yard. The 6-0 Kansas City, Mo., native jumped on the first pitch he saw, blasting his 32nd career round-tripper to tie him with Jim Willis (1983-85) for the second-highest total in UT Martin program history.
However, Ole Miss struck for nine runs, six unearned, in its half of the eighth inning to go on top 20-4, the game’s final scoring margin.
The Skyhawks return to action this weekend for a three-game set at Indiana State, playing Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Published in The WCP 3.8.12

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