MARTIN, Tenn. (Interstat) — Maxwell Schumacher delivered a dominant seven-inning start and Bo Strickland drove in three runs as Tennessee-Martin rolled past Mississippi Valley State 9-1 in non-conference baseball action Saturday at Skyhawk Park.

The victory evened the Skyhawks’ season record at 6-6, while the Delta Devils fell to 2-10. The game was the third of a four-game weekend series between the teams, with Tennessee-Martin having won the first two contests on Friday.

Mississippi Valley State struck quickly in the first inning against Schumacher. Leadoff hitter Aoki singled, advanced to second on a groundout and scored on a two-out single by Kendall Brookins. The Delta Devils managed six hits in the game, with Brookins collecting three of them and driving in the lone run.

That early lead was short-lived. Tennessee-Martin answered in the bottom of the second inning when Bo singled, took second on a wild pitch and scored on an RBI single from Conley to tie the game at 1-1.

The game remained deadlocked until the bottom of the fifth inning, which proved to be the decisive frame. With one out and a runner on first, Strickland singled. After a flyout, Davis delivered an RBI double down the left field line to give the Skyhawks their first lead at 2-1. Colten Payton followed with a two-run double to right center, scoring two more to extend the advantage to 4-1 and chase Mississippi Valley State starter Jace Jones from the game.

Tennessee-Martin broke the game open in the sixth. Strickland hammered a two-run double down the right field line, scoring two more runs to push the lead to 7-1. The Skyhawks added two insurance runs in the eighth on back-to-back RBI doubles from Strickland and Terence Grines.

Schumacher, the top star for Tennessee-Martin, earned the win with a commanding performance. He allowed one earned run on five hits over seven innings, striking out seven and walking one. This marked a strong rebound from his previous start on March 1, when he allowed two earned runs in four innings against Bradley.

Mississippi Valley State’s Jones took the loss, surrendering four earned runs on four hits and four walks over 4 2/3 innings. Relief pitcher Gage Deutsch recorded the final out of the eighth inning for the Delta Devils without allowing a hit.

For Tennessee-Martin, Strickland finished 3 for 4 with three RBIs and two runs scored. Cullen Box also had a perfect day at the plate, going 3 for 3 with an RBI. The Skyhawks tallied 12 hits as a team.

Following Schumacher, Gehrig Wright and Garner Anderson each pitched a scoreless inning of relief to seal the win for the Skyhawks.

The most important sequence of the game was the bottom of the fifth inning. With the score tied 1-1, Tennessee-Martin strung together three consecutive two-out hits—a single by Strickland, an RBI double by Davis and the two-run double by Payton—to transform a tight contest into a comfortable three-run lead from which Mississippi Valley State never recovered.

The teams conclude their four-game series on Sunday afternoon. Mississippi Valley State travels to face New Orleans on Tuesday, while Tennessee-Martin’s next action is a three-game home series against The Citadel beginning Friday.