CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. - The University of Tennessee at Martin baseball team (24-29/ 8-14 OVC) scored five runs in the top of the seventh inning and battled back from a 4-0 deficit to keep its hopes alive for a berth in the six-team Ohio Valley Conference tournament next week but it wasn't enough to beat host Austin Peay (26-25/6-13 OVC) in the first game of the three-game series at Raymond C. Hand Park. The host Govs held off the Skyhawks, 9-7.

The Skyhawks needed to win all three games against Austin Peay to claim a berth in the tournament, while Austin Peay was mathematically eliminated from the tournament last weekend.

Austin Peay jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the bottom of the second. Govs' starter Stephen Huff struck out six of the first nine UT Martin batters he faced en route to his sixth mound victory of the season.

The Skyhawks managed to spoil Huff's shutout bid in the top of the fourth inning when Wes Patterson and Jordan Owen hit back-to-back home runs. Patterson hit his 15th homer of the season to the deepest part of the park in centerfield (392 feet). Owen followed with his team-leading 16th homer of the season, a solo shot to left centerfield (373 feet).

Austin Peay answered with two runs in the bottom half of the fourth inning to take a 6-2 advantage and added to the lead with two runs in the bottom of the fifth to go up 8-2.

In the top half of the seventh inning, with two outs, the Skyhawks scored five runs on four hits.

Patterson delivered the big blow, a double down the left field line that scored two runners. Patterson was three-for-four in the game and drove in three runs to add to his team-leading 63 RBI.

Leading 8-7, the Govs took advantage of a wild pitch in the eighth inning to close out their scoring. UT Martin was unable to score in the eighth and ninth innings.

Senior Coty Green was tagged with the mound loss for the Skyhawks. He worked 4.2 innings and gave up nine hits and eight earned runs. He struck out three and gave up three walks.

Game 2 of the doubleheader was delayed 40 minutes and then postponed because of water on the field. The two teams will wrap up the series with a doubleheader set to begin at noon.





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