MARTIN, Tenn.— Bellarmine softball traveled to UT-Martin after just one day of rest and fell twice to the Skyhawks in a doubleheader on Tuesday evening.
UT-Martin took game one by a final score of 7-1 and defeated the Knights 4-2 in the second game.
Game 1
UT-Martin used a sizeable bottom of the first inning to jump start a successful day. The first four batters for the Skyhawks reached, including a pair of doubles. UT-Martin also used a passed ball and Bellarmine error to score a couple of unearned runs. The Skyhawks led 4-0 after the first inning.
The Knights stabilized defensively the next three innings, holding UT-Martin scoreless. Bellarmine was unable to get the bats rolling, however, managing three hits through the first four innings – all in separate innings.
A rally seemed to be brewing in the top of the fifth when Bellarmine nabbed its first run. Sydney Young led off with a double, her first of the season. Grace Werner then pitched in a single to move Young to third base. Thanks to a UT-Martin error, Young scored to carve the lead to three.
The offense for UT-Martin answered though, as Kaitlyn Kelley hit the team's 14th home run of the season to make it a 5-1 score. The Skyhawks then tacked on two insurance runs in the sixth before locking up a 7-1 win.
Megan Murphy pitched all six innings for Bellarmine, while Erin Gallagher got the win for UT-Martin. Gallagher went 6.1 allowing seven hits. Seven of Bellarmine's nine batters had a hit but no player had multiple hits.
Game 2
The second contest started similar with UT-Martin jumping out to a quick lead.
The Skyhawks scored in the opening inning once again, with the help of a Paige Clark single, steal, and Kelley RBI base-knock. They added two more in the third inning to push ahead 3-0.
Bellarmine's best inning of the day came in the fourth of game two, when the Knights pulled within one. Sarah Ratterman walked to start the inning and Alexis Hargrove blasted her second home run of the season over the left field fence. That made the score 3-2.
Despite more chances to tie or potentially take the lead, the Knights could not move the tying run past second base the rest of the game. UT-Martin got insurance in the fifth with another three-hit inning and one run to make it a 4-2 game. That would end up as the final score for the Skyhawks who picked up their third and fourth consecutive wins.
Along with Hargrove, Olivia Bricker had a strong second game at the plate, going 2-2 with a pair of singles and one walk.
Claire Lehmkuhler pitched all six innings for Bellarmine, while Alexis Groet collected the complete game victory for UT-Martin.
Bellarmine stays in Tennessee this weekend to compete in the Governors Classic hosted by Austin Peay. BU will face Northern Iowa, Northern Illinois, and Austin Peay in a five-game weekend. The first game of the invitational is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. ET on Friday against Northern Iowa.
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