EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. – SIUE baseball fell to its seventh consecutive loss Friday, dropping a 9-5 decision to UT Martin in the opener of a three-game Ohio Valley Conference series at Simmons Baseball Complex.

SIUE is now 17-20 overall and 6-13 in the OVC. UT Martin is 15-20 and 5-11 in OVC play.

"This was an odd game to say the least," SIUE Head Coach Sean Lyons said. "It's just the way things are bouncing for us."

SIUE starter Nelson Martz (4-4) cruised through the first three innings, allowing only two base runners, on a walk and a hit batter. He racked up seven strikeouts in the first three innings.

The Skyhawks turned things around in the fourth inning, loading the bases with a walk and three hits to start the inning. Creighton Eldridge walked to force home the first run and Josh Hauser followed with a two-run double to left center. Ben Aslett laid down a sacrifice squeeze bunt to make it 4-0. A Connor Aube infield hit capped the inning to make it 5-0 UT Martin.

"Early on he was having his way with the lineup," Lyons said of Martz. "It was a mental lapse where we get a couple of walks and a couple of base hits and then we leave one down the middle that is hit for a double."

The Cougars answered with single runs in the fifth and the seventh innings. Jordan Stading tripled to drive home a run in the fifth inning. Jared McCunn picked a run-scoring single in the sixth.

UT Martin responded in the seventh with four runs on five hits to chase Martz.

Martz tossed 6 2/3 innings allowing all nine runs on 11 hits. He stuck out 10 hitters, which is the second most for a pitcher in the Division I era at SIUE.

Mike Miller tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings in relief and Devin Colley added a scoreless ninth inning with a strikeout.

McCunn added another RBI-hit in the eighth inning and the Cougars scratched out two more runs in the ninth for the 9-5 final.

The Cougars outhit UT Martin 13-12. McCunn paced the Cougars at the plate. He was 4 for 5 with the two RBIs. Alec Skender was 3 for 4 with two runs. Stading was 2 for 5 with the triple and RBI.

"We barreled up a lot of balls tonight," Lyons said. "We had runners on base all day whether it was via the hit or free bases."

UTM starter Winston Cannon (4-2) earned the win despite walking five batters. He gave up only one, unearned run, on seven hits over five innings.

The Cougars left 14 runners on base.

"We had 20-something guys on base and we only score five runs," Lyons added. "It's a tough spot right now. We're close. We didn't play poorly, but that's the way the ball fell today."

Each of the top four hitters in the Shyhawks' lineup finished with two hits. Hauser's two RBIs led the way for UT Martin.

The Cougars and Skyhawks will play game two of the series Saturday afternoon. First pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m.

"We have to come out ready to play tomorrow afternoon," Lyons said.