The Tennessee-Martin softball team opened Ohio Valley Conference play with a split against visiting Samford University Saturday afternoon at Bettye Giles Field in Martin.

The Skyhawks won the first game 6-0, but lost the second game 1-0 in 10 innings.

Tennessee-Martin junior Nicole Davis pitched a two-hit, seven-inning shutout in game one. She gave up two walks and struck out seven.

The Skyhawks scored four runs in the bottom of the third inning and two runs in the bottom of the sixth inning. Emily Webb drove in two runs with two hits.

In the second game, Samford scored once in the in the top of the tenth inning when Erin Hall singled to right center field to score Liz Pearse, who started the inning at second base because of the international tie breaker rule. Pearse advanced to third on Trisha Holman's sacrifice bunt.

The Skyhawks threatened in the bottom half of the tenth, but left runners stranded on second and third.

Allison Buckley pitched all 10 innings for the Skyhawks and gave up eight hits. She struck out five and took the loss.

The series wrapped up Sunday afternoon when UTM defeated Samford once again, 3-0.

Offensively, the Skyhawks used four hits to put up the three runs. Senior Angela Baize drove in the first run for the Skyhawks with a single in the first inning that plated Jennifer Young, who reached base on a walk.

The Skyhawks scored two more runs in the bottom of the fifth inning. Megan Mizell led off the inning with a single. She scored on Young's triple to left center field. Young scored on a Brandy Whalen single down the left field line.

Davis picked up her eighth mound win of the season against Samford Sunday afternoon.

Davis threw a three-hit, seven-inning shutout and lowered her ERA from 3.55 to 3.25.

Davis was also named the Ohio Valley Conference Softball Co-Pitcher of the Week for her efforts against Samford.

She is currently fifth on the list for career strikeouts with 192 and 50 for the season.

Davis, a 6-1, pitcher, from Alpine, Calif., is the daughter of Jim and Marsha Davis.

The Skyhawks unfortunately fell to Southern Illinois-Carbondale in a double header Thursday. afternoon.

In the first game, the Skyhawks struggled at the plate and mustered three hits off Amy Harre, a 2004 Preseason All-Missouri Valley Conference pitcher who currently holds the record for the lowest ERA in SIU school history.

Young, Baize and Kristin Hogan had the three Skyhawk hits in the game.

In the second game, the Skyhawks scored first in their half of the first inning, but that wasn't enough to force the Salukies to the pound. SIU answered with a run in the second, two in the third and two more in the fourth.

The visitors tacked on more run in the top of the sixth inning. Once again the Skyhawks were limited to three hits in the game, coming from Brandy Whalen, Beth Buttrey and Christa Webb.

On the mound, Allison Buckley took the loss. She worked three innings and gave up five runs. She is 4-4 on the year with a 3.02 ERA.

Freshman Megan Mizell pitched three innings and gave up one run. Mizell struck out six in the game. Freshman Holly Templeton also tossed one inning. She faced four batters.

The Skyhawks are 17-9 overall and 2-1 in the OVC. They will host Belmont, Southern Illinois and Tennessee Tech this week.