Drake, McCallum shine in Senators sweep of Rend Lake

MORRISTOWN, TN — Kohl Drake struck out 13 in game one and Cole McCallum hit two home runs and drove in seven runs in game two as No. 5 Walters State cruised to a doubleheader sweep of Rend Lake.

The Senators won game one 10-0 in six innings and game two 12-3. 

With the sweep, Walters State improves to 11-1 on the season.

McCallum jump started the Senators offense in game number two, hitting a grand slam in the first inning. McCallum followed that up with an RBI double in the fourth and a 2-run home run in the fifth.

"I got a 2-0 count on him and figured he would throw me fastball, and he did," McCallum said of the grand slam. "I hit it pretty good and had a really good rest of the day with the double off the wall and then the opposite field home run that the wind kind of took."

Game One: Walters State 10, Rend Lake 0 (6 Innings)

It took Walters State a few innings to get going on Saturday, but once they did it was hard for them to stop.

The Senators scored five runs in the third, two in the fourth, two in the fifth and one in the sixth to end game one early. 

Caleb McNeely led the way in the first game with three hits at the leadoff spot. Jack Sutton drove home three runs in the game as well while Colby Backus had two hits and two RBIs. Noah Gent picked up his first triple of the season. 

The story of the game, however, was on the mound as Kohl Drake pitched a gem while improving to 3-0 on the season. Drake pitched a complete game, allowing one hit and striking out 13. Drake struck out the side in three innings. 

Drake's presence on the mound, as well as the rest of the pitching staff, has given the batting order tons of confidence as the pressure isn't on to score a high number of runs each game. 

"With the pitchers we have, it's a lot easier to just hit," McCallum said. "There's a lot less stress. Everyone is loose in the dugout because we know our pitchers are going to shove. We can just focus on putting up runs behind them."

After two scoreless innings to start, Walters State finally broke things open in the bottom of the third. Backus knocked in the first run of the game as he singled to score Declan Wiesner. After a bases-loaded walk to Corbin Shaw made it 2-0, Sutton cleared the bases with a double to center. 

Walters State kept the scoring going in the fourth when Shaw singled in a run and Kruise Newman was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to make it 7-0.

In the sixth, two more runs came across the plate as Backus singled in McNeely and Gent tripled in Backus. 

Newman ended the game in the sixth with a solo home run to center, his second of the season. 

Game Two: Walters State 12, Rend Lake 3

Game two was all McCallum as he took over from the start.

McCallum, who has been shuffling in-and-out of the lineup, had three hits and seven RBIs to carry the Senators offense.

"I think today definitely helps with my confidence and getting into the lineup," McCallum said. "I hurt my ankle right before the season started and so was slow trying to break into the lineup. But I got my opportunity today and hopefully it'll continue the next few weeks." 

Along with McCallum, Backus and Shaw both had two hits while Gent knocked in two runs. Backus had a home run as well.

On the mound, Wesley Scott improved to 3-0 on the season with four innings of work. Scott struck out seven while allowing three runs on five hits.

Scott was replaced in the fifth by Landon Slemp. Slemp threw two scoreless innings before making way for Ty Cobb in the seventh. Cobb loaded the bases with no outs but got out of it with zero damage done. 

While McCallum's grand slam in the first gave the Senators the lead, it was Backus who got the scoring started for Walters State, belting a solo home run. 

Following a Rend Lake run in the third that made it 5-3, Gent extended the Senators lead when he tripled for the second time of the day, scoring two runs. 

In the fourth, Walters State scored two more times as McCallum doubled home a run and McNeely walked with the bases loaded. McCallum gave the Senators an 11-3 lead in the fifth with a home run and it was 12-3 when Caleb Marmo scored on a wild pitch in the sixth. 

Up Next:

Walters State will be back in action on Sunday as they host Rend Lake for two more games. First pitch is set for noon at Ken Campbell Field. 

Rob Harvey

Walters State Community College

Sports Information Director

Cell: (423) 779-8880

Email: sportsinfo@ws.edu

Website: www.ws.edu/athletics