UT Martin Captures Final Contest In Three-Game Baseball Series With SIUE

EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. – SIUE's only runs came in a five-run second inning Saturday as UT Martin scored a 14-5 win over the Cougars in the final game a three-game Ohio Valley Conference series.

The Cougars won two of the three games to win the series and fell to 15-13 overall and 8-7 in the OVC with Saturday's loss. UT Martin is 11-16 and 4-5.

UT Martin sored multiple runs in five different innings, and homered in each inning in which they scored. The Skyhawks finished with the 14 runs on 21 hits.

After a top of the second which saw the Skyhawks take a four-run lead against SIUE starter David Llorens, the Cougars answered quickly.

Raul Elguezabal doubled to lead off the inning before Brady Bunten and Ole Arntson reached on consecutive errors by the UT Martin third baseman. Avery Owusu-Asiedu then hammered a 1-0 pitch to straight-away center field for a grand slam, his first career home run.

Two batters later, Brett Johnson lined a shot over the right field fence to put SIUE ahead 5-4.

UT Martin scored three times in the fourth to take the lead back for good. They added three in the sixth and two each in the eighth and ninth innings.

The Cougars has base runners in the third and the fourth innings, but left two on base and never found any offensive traction after that point.

"They jumped all over us offensively," SIUE Head Coach Sean Lyons said. "We answered with the five-run inning, but (UT Martin) just kept at it."

UT Martin starter Nick Wohlbold (2-2) allowed the five runs, two earned, on five hits over five innings. He struck out nine.

"We weren't able to get anything going off Wohlbold," Lyons added. "He did a really nice job of squashing some opportunities for us."

Skyhawk relievers Seth Petry and David Hussey combined to allow just a single hit over the final four innings.

Owusu-Asiedu was one of just two SIUE players with more than a single hit. He added a fourth-inning single to finish 2-4.

"He is a really strong defensive player for us," Lyons said. "With the wind today, he is a guy that we wanted in the lineup. He took advantage of his opportunity to get back in there. He put some good barrels on the ball today."

SIUE next plays Friday when the Cougars open a nonconference weekend series at Western Michigan.

"With a four-game series at Western Michigan, we'll get an opportunity to see some more arms and do some things to get us going for the stretch run," Lyons said.