The UTM softball team picked up its first Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) sweep of the season after defeating Tennessee State 9-2 on Sunday afternoon.
The Skyhawks (16-5, 6-3 OVC) tallied 10 hits on the afternoon to stretch their winning streak to seven games. The trio of Shyanne Sheffield, Kaitlyn Kelley and Paige Clark each tallied a pair of base hits to lead the team while Kelley paced the squad with four RBIs after hitting her hitting a grand slam for her team-leading 10th home run. Senior Aalia Bivens also tallied a pair of RBIs while Sheffield drove in the other.
Sophomore Alexis Groet (6-1, 1.56 ERA) picked up the win in the circle, striking out four and allowing two earned runs in 5.1 innings of work. Junior Erin Gallagher appeared in relief and pitched 1.2 perfect innings to earn her third career save.
Neither team would find their offensive mojo until the bottom of the fourth inning when the Skyhawks finally broke the scoreless tie. After back-to-back singles by Sheffield and Kelley to open the inning, Bivens ripped an RBI double down the third-base line to plate the pair. Following a single by Clark later in the frame and a stolen base, the Skyhawks would score two runs on a pair of miscues – first on a wild pitch compounded by a throwing error by the catcher to score Clark on the same play – to give the Skyhawks 4-0 advantage.
Tennessee State cut its deficit in half in the top of the sixth inning as Anayah Baker-Rowell tallied a RBI-groundout before Bri Vire singled up the middle to bring the contest to a 4-2 margin.
The Skyhawks looked to pad their margin in the bottom half of the inning for some breathing room. After Emily Gilstrap drew a walk and Skyler Davis was hit by a pitch, Kaci Fuller used a bunt single to load the bases with one out on the board. Sheffield kept the rally going with a single to center to score a run while keeping the bases juiced for Kelley who delivered with a grand slam to left center to put the Skyhawks up 9-2. The home run marked the 10th of the season for Kelley and ranked as the most in a single season for the Skyhawks since 2016.
UTM will return to action next Friday, March 26 when opening another home OVC series against Eastern Kentucky.
