No. 1 Walters State pitches shutout in doubleheader sweep of Cleveland State

CLEVELAND, TN – Kohl Drake and Jake Knapp threw 12 shutout innings on Friday afternoon as No. 1 Walters State swept a doubleheader against Cleveland State, 4-0 and 10-0 in five innings. 

With the sweep, Walters State improved to 42-3 overall and 18-1 in TCCAA play. The Senators win streak now sits at 22 games.

GAME ONE: No. 1 Walters State 4, Cleveland State 0

In game one on Friday, Drake got the start and threw seven shutout innings, allowing just four hits while striking out 12. 

With the win, Drake improved to 10-0 on the season. His ERA dipped below one with the scoreless outing, sitting at 0.99. That ranks second in the country behind his teammate, Knapp. His strikeout total improved to 108 on the year, good for second in the country. 

At the plate, Kruise Newman led the way with two hits and two RBIs. Caleb McNeely had two hits as well to go along with an RBI. Noah Gent had the final RBI. 

Walters State got the scoring going in the second with three runs. Following back-to-back hits from Dalton McLain and Andrew Ott, McNeely singled home McLain to make it 1-0. Newman was the next batter and doubled down the line to score Ott and McNeely.

The Senators added one more run in the fifth when Gent grounded out to the shortstop, scoring McNeely.

GAME TWO: No. 1 Walter State 10, Cleveland State 0 (5 Innings)

In game two, it was Knapp's turn to dominate on the mound with five scoreless innings, striking out seven while allowing five hits. 

The win was Knapp's 12th of the season as he moved his nation-leading record to 12-0. His ERA dipped to 0.94 with the scoreless outing, tops in the country as well. He has 90 strikeouts, ranking him fourth in the country. 

At the plate, Ott had three hits to go along with an RBI while Nick Block and Kory Klingenbeck each had two hits. Block, Klingenbeck and Corbin Shaw all had home runs. 

For the second straight game, it was the second inning where the scoring started as the Senators drove two home when McLain singled in Shaw and Ott singled in Block.

Then, in the third, Shaw made it 4-0 in favor of the Senators with a two-run homer. Three more runs came across the plate in the fourth as McNeely singled home Ott, Backus walked with the bases loaded and Gent grounded into a double play that scored McNeely.

The scoring was capped off in the fifth as Block led off the inning with a solo home run before Klingenbeck hit a two-run shot that made it 10-0.

Up Next:

Walters State will be back in action on Saturday for one final game against Cleveland State. First pitch 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