COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee Tech baseball team took advantage of a six-run seventh inning to cruise to a 12-6 victory over Ohio Valley Conference foe UT Martin Sunday, taking the series two games to one.

UT Martin (14-24, 3-10) jumped out to a 4-2 with the help of a three-run fourth, but Tech (21-17, 7-9) got one run back in the bottom of the fourth with a pair of singles from Cheverton and Hayes, and a sac bunt from from Alex Henry to make the score 4-3. Each team added a run in the fifth inning, and Tech made it 5-5 in the bottom of the sixth, before breaking out in the deciding seventh inning.

The big inning started when Casanova Donaldson reached on an error to lead off the inning. Tate McMillan then singled to put runners on first and second, and after Evan Webb grounded out, the Skyhawks intentionally walked Heath Cheverton to get to Chad Hayes with the bases loaded, a move they would come to regret almost immediately. A ground-rule double by Hayes scored McMillan and Cheverton to break the tie.

“I don’t think they were expecting Chad to hit a two-run double, but he really pulled through for us, and you can expect to see a lot of that out of him in the future,” head coach Matt Bragga said.

Another error in the inning helped Alex Henry reach first, which scored Cheverton from third. Singles from Chad Oberacker and Ben Burgess scored two more runs, and in his second at-bat of the inning Donaldson hit an RBI sac fly that brought in the sixth run of the inning for the Golden Eagles.

Hayes finished the day going 3-for4 from the plate, with two RBIs and three runs scored. Oberacker also had a three-hit day, going 3-for-6 with two RBIs. Donaldson finished 2-for-4 from the plate with three RBIs, and hit his second home run of the season, and A.J. Kirby-Jones went 2-for-3 with an RBI, and double, a single, and two walks, including an intentional pass to load the bases in the fourth.

“If they want to put me on base, that’s great,” Kirby-Jones said. “That helps the team, it gave us a bases loaded situation with our four-hole hitter coming up and we have a lot of confidence in Ben Burgess.”

Kirby-Jones also got the win on the mound for Tech, as he pitched the final 4.2 innings, allowing only an unearned run on three hits, while fanning five Skyhawk batters.

“It’s fun being a guy that does everything,” said Kirby-Jones, who started the game as a designated hitter, and also plays first base. “Especially when it helps the team win, that’s what our goal is.”

The win sealed a two-to-one series victory for Tech, which is now 7-9 in the OVC after starting 1-7. The Golden Eagles have two conference series remaining, as they travel to Murray State for a three game series next weekend, before wrapping up OVC play at home against Jacksonville state May 9 and 10. Every other OVC school has three conference weekends remaining.

The Golden Eagles entered the day in sixth place in the league, and are working to hold on to a top six spot in order to advance to the conference tournament May 20-24 in Paducah, Ky.

“Obviously everybody would like to be in first place, but we like where we’re at,” Bragga said. “Our guys are practicing extremely hard, and getting better everyday, so we’re confident that we’ll be where we want to be at the end of the day.”

Tech continues its action with a non-conference home game against Alabama A&M at 6 p.m. on Monday, before traveling to Western Carolina for a single game on April 29. The Golden Eagles will then take on the Thoroughbreds of Murray State on May 2 and 3. Admission to Tech home baseball games is free.