Eagles out homered by Skyhawks, 14-3

MARTIN, Tenn. – University of Southern Indiana Baseball was out homered by the University of Tennessee at Martin and lost a 14-3 decision Friday evening in Martin, Tennessee. USI watched its record go to 9-24 overall and 2-8 in the OVC, while UTM goes to 10-25, 5-5 OVC, this spring.
 
USI jumped out in front to get the scoring started when junior rightfielder Drew Taylor (Jeffersonville, Indiana) homered to left center for the 1-0 Eagles’ lead. The home run was Taylor’s second of the season.
 
After the Skyhawks rallied to take a 4-1 advantage on a grand slam in the bottom of the second, the Eagles cut the deficit to one, 4-3, with a pair of tallies in the top of the fourth. Junior first baseman Tucker Ebest (Austin, Texas) got one of the runs back with a blast to right center, while junior leftfielder Gavin McLarty (Buckner, Kentucky) drove in the Eagle’s third run of the game with a RBI-single up the middle to make the score. 4-3.
 
Ebest’s solo shot in the fourth was his team-best seventh of the season for USI.
 
The Skyhawks would put the game out of reach with 10 unanswered runs, posting one in the fourth, eight in the sixth, including UTM’s second grand slam of the game, and one in the eighth, for the eventual final score of 14-3.
 
On the mound, sophomore right-hander Gavin Morris (Brazil, Indiana) was tagged with the loss for the Eagles. Morris (0-2) allowed nine runs on nine hits and four walks, while striking out one in 5.2 innings of work.
 
 
Up Next for the Eagles:  
USI and UTM continue the three-game series Saturday with a 3 p.m. contest. The series concludes Sunday with a 1 p.m. first pitch.