Senators split doubleheader with Patrick & Henry

MARTINSVILLE, VA – No.1 Walters State split a doubleheader on Tuesday afternoon with Patrick & Henry. The Senators scored five runs in the top of the seventh to win 5-4 in game one before falling short in game two, 10-8.

With the split, Walters State moved to 38-6 on the season. 

GAME ONE: No. 1 Walters State 5, Patrick & Henry 4

In game one, the Senators had two hits going to the seventh but scored five runs and held on for the win. 

The rally in the seventh started as Jarrett Martin singled and Kruise Newman and Keaton Ray both walked to load the bases with one out. Caleb Marmo was up next and he walked as well to get the Senators on the board and cut the lead to 4-1.

The lead was cut to one a batter later as Kurtis Reid doubled in Ray and Newman to make it 4-3. Following an error that allowed Cole McCallum to reach and reload the bases, Corbin Shaw walked in a run to tie the game. 

The final run for the Senators came on a Deniel Ortiz sacrifice fly that gave Walters State the lead. In the bottom half of the inning, Brayden Mathews got a 1-2-3 inning to close things out. 

At the plate, Martin led the way with two hits. Shaw and Reid had the other two hits. 

On the mound, Taz Butler got the start and fired three innings. Butler gave up three runs, two earned, on four hits and struck out four. 

Jackson Hull replaced Butler in the fourth and threw two hitless innings before Blake Cooper (5-1) pitched the sixth. Cooper gave up an unearned run while striking out two.

Matthews closed the game out in the seventh, picking up his second save of the season. 

GAME TWO: Patrick & Henry 10, No. 1 Walters State 8

In game two, the Senators cut a six-run deficit to two in the final inning but could not pull off another comeback.

At the plate, Reid, McCallum and Preston Wright each had two hits. One of Reid's hits was a home run, driving in three runs as well. 

On the mound, Riley Franklin got the start and allowed three runs. Bradley Gagen replaced Franklin in the first inning and pitched the next 4.1 innings. Gagen gave up seven runs on seven hits while striking out five. 

Karson Bonaparte replaced Gagen with an out in the fifth and got the final two outs before Miles Smith pitched a scoreless sixth.

Walters State got on the board first in the game with a run in the top of the first on a McCallum RBI double. However, Patrick & Henry responded with five runs in the first and four in the second to lead 9-1. 

The Senators began to cut in the lead with a run in the third, fourth and fifth innings to make it a 9-4 game. Those runs came on a Wright sacrifice fly, an Ortiz walk with the bases loaded and a Newman sacrifice fly.

Patrick & Henry scored one more run in the fifth to lead 10-4 before Walters State made their final push. In the seventh, Newman doubled in a run before Reid smacked a three-run bomb to make it 10-8. However, that was as close as the Senators would get.

Up Next:

Walters State will be back in action on Friday as they begin a home conference series against Cleveland State. Friday's nine-inning game is set to start at 2 p.m. 

Rob Harvey

Walters State Community College

Sports Information Director

Cell: (423) 779-8880

Email: sportsinfo@ws.edu

Website: www.ws.edu/athletics