Senators break out the bats in season opening win over USC Salkehatchie

ALLENDALE, SC – Caleb McNeely led off the season with a triple and No. 5 Walters State was off and running, taking down USC Salkehatchie 15-3 in seven innings in their season opener.

With the win, Walters State improves to 1-0 on the season.

Along with his triple, McNeely also hit a 3-run home run in the second inning to make it 4-0. Cole McCallum hit a 3-run homer as well, doing so in his first collegiate at bat. 

McNeely led the team with two hits and three RBI while Andrew Ott knocked in two runs and McCallum three on the home run. Nine Senators recorded hits in the game. 

Nolan Letzgus got the start and threw two innings for Walters State, striking out three. Joey Mitchell replaced him in the third and struck out two in three innings pitched. Mitchell picked up his first win of the season.

Mitchell made way for Jaques Gillespie-Taylor in the sixth inning and after Gillespie-Taylor threw a scoreless sixth, Xavier Fosbenner closed things out in the seventh. 

After McNeely's triple to start the game, Ott immediately knocked him in to make it 1-0 Senators.

The Senators struck for three more in the second when Colby Backus singled and Declan Wiesner walked. McNeely then came up with two outs and belted a 3-run homer into the trees. 

The Indians would answer in the bottom of the second with two runs, but Walters State was back for more in the third. Noah Gent led things off with a single and moved to third on a Corbin Shaw single. After Nick Block scored Gent on an error, Backus loaded the bases back up with a hit by pitch.

Wiesner was the next batter and would capitalize for the Senators, singling home Shaw to make it 6-2. Two more runs would come home later in the inning when Dalton McLain reached on an error before Ott hit a sacrifice fly to score another run. It was 9-2 after three. 

Following a scoreless fourth inning, Walters State and USC Salkehatchie each added a run in the fifth, the Senators run coming off a wild pitch that scored McLain. 

The sixth inning really sealed the game for the Senators as Block doubled and Backus walked with one out. That set up McCallum who unloaded on a pitch for a 3-run homer to make it 13-3. Two more runs came across for the Senators in the seventh when Landon Slemp doubled home Jack Sutton and Caleb Marmo had a sacrifice fly that scored Slemp. 

Up Next: 

Walters State will be back in action on Saturday, taking on USC Salkehatchie in a double-header. First pitch for game one is set for 12 p.m. 

Rob Harvey

Walters State Community College

Sports Information Director

Cell: (423) 779-8880

Email: sportsinfo@ws.edu

Website: www.ws.edu/athletics