The Skyhawk softball team faced off against the MTSU Blue Raiders on April 3 in Martin.
UTM was kept scoreless in a 2-0 defeat at the hands of their in-state rival. This is the third time the Skyhawks have been shut out this season, with the previous shutouts coming against OVC foe Belmont and Sam Houston State.
Freshman infielder Kallie Pickens and junior outfielder Hailee Short led the Skyhawks in hits. Both Pickens and Short had two hits in three at-bats.
Outfielders Paige Clark and Aalia Bivens both notched hits of their own, helping UTM out-hit MTSU. However, these efforts weren’t enough to send a runner home for the Skyhawks.
A single by infielder Sydney Heath allowed teammate Lani Rodriguez to run home in the third inning, giving MTSU a 1-0 lead. Infielder Lexi Cushing cranked a home run in the fourth inning, giving the Blue Raiders their 2-0 lead.
MTSU pitcher Kailey Ahlstrom, who improved her record to 6-6, went perfect in her seven innings, allowing six hits but no runs.
“She was tremendous today. I thought she never got in much of a jam at all, I thought she controlled their hitters very well and didn’t seem to get bothered when they had baserunners on,” said Blue Raider head coach Jeff Breeden in a press release from MTSU.
Pitcher Lexi Ray, whose record dropped to 6-5, was credited with the loss, striking out three and allowing two runs in four innings. Erin Gallagher pitched three innings for UTM, striking out two and allowing two hits.
The Skyhawks sit at 23-15 overall and 5-3 in OVC play. UTM began an eight-game OVC stretch with a doubleheader in Carbondale, Illinois, against Eastern Illinois (1-7 OVC) on April 6.
The Skyhawks will return home to battle Southeast Missouri (5-1 OVC) in a doubleheader on Tuesday, April 9.
Statistics used in this article come from UTM Sports Information and MTSU University Athletics.
