No. 2 Walters State take opening game of TCCAA/Region VII Tournament against Cleveland State

MORRISTOWN, TN – No. 2 Walters State got their postseason started with a bang on Thursday afternoon as they used home runs from Nick Block and Matthew Ellis to take down Cleveland State 13-7 in the opening game of the TCCAA/Region VII Tournament.

With the win, Walters State improves to 53-3 on the season and take a 1-0 lead against Cleveland State in the best-of-3 series.

"It's tournament baseball so everyone is playing harder than they did in the regular season," Walters State coach Dave Shelton said. "Overall, I thought our guys did a good job. Kohl (Drake) gave up some runs, but I thought he pitched well with the wind blowing straight out. I thought their team did a good job and played well, so I am pleased to get out of here with a win against them."

For Walters State, the win adds even more pressure on Cleveland State as the Cougars now must win two games in-a-row against the Senators, a team that has lost three games total all season.

"It's huge to get this opening win," Shelton said. "Nobody wants to lose that first game because then all of the sudden the pressure rises. You always want to win your first one and want to do it without burning through your pitching staff, and we were able to do that."

Kohl Drake got the start on the mound for Walters State and ran his record to 8-1 on the season with the win. Drake threw seven innings, allowing six runs on five hits while striking out 10.

Nathan Hickman replaced Drake in the eighth with a scoreless inning that saw him strike out two before Joey Mitchell closed it out in the ninth.

At the plate, Ellis and Block led the way, each with timely home runs. Block's bomb came in the fifth inning that gave Walters State a four-run cushion. Cleveland State battled back, but Ellis got the Senators the four-run cushion right back with a two-run bomb of his own. Ellis had three RBIs in the game while Block had two.

Walters State started off quick in the contest with four runs in the first thanks to some hard hit balls and errors by the Cougars. Jerry Hammons brought the first run of the game across when he reached on an error that scored Caleb McNeely. After Ellis singled in Alberto Osuna to make it 2-0, Noah Gent reached on a fielder's choice that scored Hammons. 

Lukas Cook capped the scoring off in the first when he reached on an error that allowed Gent to cross the plate.

Cleveland State answered in the top of the second with two runs. In the bottom of the second, Hammons gave the Senators a three-run lead when he singled in McNeely. In the fifth, Cleveland State homered once again to make it a two-run game. But, Block was there to answer in the bottom of the fifth with his two-run homer to left.

However, Cleveland would not go away and made it a one-run game heading to the bottom of the seventh. That's when the Senators struck as Osuna singled home a run before Ellis hit his two-run home run way over the fence in center. Walters State added three more in the eighth on a Silas Butler single, a fielder's choice that allowed Block to score and a fielder's choice that brought Cook home.

OSUNA BREAKS WALTERS STATE RBI RECORD

With his RBI single in the seventh inning, Osuna broke the Walters State single season RBI record with his 93rd run batted in.

Osuna has been a National Player of The Year type player this season for Walters State. Osuna is hitting .484 with 22 home runs and 94 RBIs through 56 games. He leads the nation in home runs and RBIs.

The Walters State record was 92 RBIs and was held by two players, Ross Grosvenor in 2015 and Ramon Osuna, Alberto's brother, in 2015 as well.

"When there are guys out there that he has the chance to drive in, he has done a really good job of it," Shelton said. "You don't break the RBI record without guys in front of him getting on base. He's such a good hitter and is a special player. He's just like his brother when he was here. They are two of the best hitters to ever play on this field. I am going to miss next year not having an Osuna on my team."

UP NEXT:

Walters State will be back in action on Friday as they look to take the series against Cleveland State and advance to the next round of the TCCAA/Region VII Tournament in Gallatin, TN on May 9. First pitch for Friday's contest is set for 2 p.m.

"We just can't get lackadaisical or lethargic," Shelton said. "I thought we came out with good energy today. We just can't come out and expect them to lay down. Their season is on the line. We just have to be mentally tough enough to match their intensity and enthusiasm."

Rob Harvey

Walters State Community College

Sports Information Director

Cell: (423) 779-8880

Email: sportsinfo@ws.edu

Website: www.ws.edu/athletics