Tigers Take Babe Howard Classic 7-4

Tuesday, May 17

Millington, Tenn.

6:30 PM

University of Memphis

18-35

UT Martin

19-32

UT Martin

Memphis

Photo by: Joe Murphy

May 17, 2016 | Baseball

Box Score

Hunter Smith tossed 5 2/3 to lead Memphis to victory

MILLINGTON, Tenn. – Hunter Smith tossed a career best 5 2/3 innings to lead Memphis to a 7-4 win over UT Martin in the W.S. `Babe' Howard Classic Tuesday at USA Stadium.

Smith allowed three runs on eighth hits over the nearly six innings pitched. The freshman walked two and struck out one. Drew Crosby, Trey McNickle and Nolan Blackwood pitched the remaining 3 1/3 innings with Blackwood recording his sixth save.

Four Memphis players had multiple hit games, including Chris Carrier and Jake Overbey who each had multiple extra-base hits. Carrier had a double and a triple while Overbey had two doubles. Zach Schritenthal and Jake Little were the other two Tigers with a multi-hit game.

It was deja vu at USA Stadium when UT Martin led off the ballgame with a solo home run to take an immediate 1-0 lead over Memphis just as they did last season. Luckily for the Tigers, that would be just about the only resemblance to last year's 2-1 win in 16-innings over the Skyhawks.

Memphis grabbed the lead on three runs in the second inning. Carrier and Overbey both hit RBI doubles to initially take the lead and a single by Darien Tubbs made the score 3-1.

The Tigers scored two more runs in the third to extend the lead to 5-1. Carrier tripled off the centerfield wall for his second extra-base hit of the game to start the inning. He scored on a sacrifice fly by Jason Santana. After Overbey doubled for the second time in the game, he scored on a single by Schritenthal.

UT Martin cut into the Tigers' lead after four straight two-out singles in the top of the sixth. Crosby came out of the bullpen to get Memphis out of the jam with the lead intact, 5-3.

Memphis added to its lead with two more runs in the bottom of the seventh. Tubbs walked and Schritenthal doubled to put two runners on with one out. Little and Brandon Grudzielanek both followed with RBI singles to make the lead 7-3.

McNickle came on to pitch the top of the eighth and allowed a solo home run to start the inning. The homer was the first allowed by McNickle in his career. The senior went on to work out of the inning.

Blackwood pitched a scoreless ninth inning to seal the win and notch his sixth save.

Memphis will close out the regular season at home against Cincinnati with a three-game series that gets underway Thursday at 6:30 p.m.