PULASKI, Tenn. – The University of Tennessee Southern baseball team opened the 2025 campaign with a four-game series with Oakland City University over the weekend. UTS won game one 2-0 and dropped the second 2-0 on Saturday. On Sunday the Firehawks suffered a pair of losses to the Mighty Oaks by the scores of 18-7 and 11-5.
GAME ONE: UTS 2, OCU 0
Gattis Henley put the Firehawks on the board first, launching a solo homer in the first inning. In the third,
Cody Womble laced a rocket down the right field line scoring
Cannon Raby giving UTS a 2-0 lead. Firehawk pitching allowed six hits and the defense stranded 11 Mighty Oaks on the base paths.
Chambers McGilberry(1-0) tossed four innings allowing four hits.
Tavien Tigg(Sv. 1) finished the final three innings allowing two hits and fanning five.
GAME TWO: OCU 2, UTS 0
In game two, the Firehawk bats went cold only producing one hit in the nightcap.
Cole Barnett singled down the right field line. UTS only had five runners advance onto the base paths. UTS pitching allowed two earned runs on five hits.
Barrett Brown got the start earning a no decision. Brown hurled four innings allowing two hits.
Jake Stuteville(0-1) took the loss allowing two earned runs on a pair of hits.
Blake Medley and
Austin Uptain worked the sixth and the seventh respectively. Medley allowed one hit and struck out a pair.
GAME THREE: OCU 18, UTS 7
In game three, both team's bats were lively combining for 30 total base knocks.
Devin Buckhalter led the Firehawks with three singles. Henley scored on a sharp ground ball by
Mason Billions in the first inning putting UTS in the lead 1-0.
The Firehawks added another run in the third inning on
Brayden Buckner's solo bomb. UTS led 2-0 through three.
The Oaks pushed three across in the fourth, taking the lead 3-2. Womble hit a two-run double down the right field line lifting the Firehawks back in from 4-3.
Oakland City plated four runs in the fifth and five runs in the sixth blowing the game out of reach. UT Southern added three runs in the sixth. Buckner picked up two RBI driving in Womble and Henley.
Coleman Siniard singled to right scoring Billions. UTS trailed 12-7 with an inning left.
In the seventh, OCU scored six runs to win 18-7.
Ridge Raper got the start tossing 3.1 innings allowing three earned runs. Raper issued two free passes and struck out three.
Jackson Moon closed out the fourth allowing one hit.
Hunter Hancock(0-1) and Tigg worked the fifth. Each allowed 2 runs. Uptain and
Cooper Bailey worked the sixth. Uptain allowed three earned runs, and Bailey gave up two runs.
Weston Horton and
Bryston Greene worked the seventh. Horton allowed six earned runs and Green allowed one hit with one strikeout.
GAME FOUR: OCU 11, UTS 5
Game four started out like game three with a Buckner three-run moon shot. UTS led 3-0 after one.
OCU blew open the flood gates scoring eight, two were earned, of their 11 runs in the second. Trailing 10-3 in the fourth, UT Southern got a pair of runs back. Henley singled to right driving in Raby. During the next at bat, OCU would be called for a balk allowing Womble to score. UTS trailed 10-5 after four.
UTS pitched by committee in game four.
Danton Rinehart(0-1) got the start and worked two innings allowing eight runs, two were earned. He struck out five OCU batters.
Caiden Rodgers gave up one hit.
Collin Perkins worked one inning issuing one walk. Stuteville tossed an inning allowing a pair of runs and hits. Tigg worked the fifth striking out one. Moon allowed one earned run in the sixth. Bailey struck out one in the seventh.
NEXT UP
The Firehawks return to the diamond on Friday, February 7-8, hosting Indiana University-Purdue University Columbus for a four game series. First pitch Friday is set for 3 p.m.
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