No. 17 Walters State wins first game over No. 14 Gaston, second game called due to darkness

MORRISTOWN, TN – No. 17 Walters State held on for a 7-6 win in game one Sunday afternoon against No. 14 Gaston College, before tying 9-9 in game two as the game was called after 10 innings due to darkness. 

With the split, the Senators moved to 6-0-1 on the season.

GAME ONE: No. 17 Walters State 7, No. 14 Gaston College 6

For the third straight game, the Senators built an early lead against the Rhinos and then held on for the win. 

Taylor Harris was unstoppable at the plate for the Senators, going 3-4 with a home run, double and an RBI. It was Harris' third straight game with a home run. Along with Harris, Kole Fenton had two hits while Tyler Myatt drove in two runs. 

On the mound, Gage Peterson got the start and threw four innings. Peterson gave up two runs on five hits and struck out three. Reilly Byers (1-0) replaced Peterson in the fifth and threw the remaining three innings, allowing four runs on three hits while striking out three. 

Gaston got on the scoreboard first in game one, scoring two runs in the top of the third. However, the Senators immediately responded in the bottom half of the inning with a Harris solo home run and Walker Morgan RBI double that tied the game.

2-2 was the score until the bottom of the fifth when Walters State took control. Fenton doubled to lead off the inning, advanced to third on a Harris single and scored on a Nate Conner sacrifice fly to give Walters State the lead. After Jack Vogele and Holden Pantier walked to load the bases, Myatt singled home two runs to give Walters State a 5-2 advantage. The final run of the inning for Walters State came as Pantier crossed home plate thanks to a wild pitch.

In the sixth, the Senators scored their final run of the game when Harris came across the plate on a passed ball that made it 7-2. Gaston scored four in the seventh to make things interesting but a popout to third ended the game. 

GAME TWO: No. 17 Walters State 9, No. 14 Gaston 9 (10 Innings)

In game two, the Senators overcame two late-inning deficits but could not cash in the winning run as darkness forced the game into a tie. 

Fenton led the way at the plate for Walters State in game two with three hits, including a game-tying two-run home run with two outs in the seventh. Fenton also drove in three runs, while Carson Cabbage had a home run and two RBIs. 

On the mound, Tyler Welch got the start and threw three innings. Welch gave up three runs on six hits and struck out five. Riley Franklin replaced Welch in the fourth and threw two innings, allowing two runs on one hit while striking out one, before Mason Trucks threw 1.1 innings. He allowed two runs on a hit and struck out two.

Brayden Blankenship pitched the final 3.2 innings for Walters State, striking out six while allowing two runs on three hits. 

Gaston again got things started first, as the Rhinos scored two in the top of the first. However, again Walters State answered back in the bottom half of the inning. After Harris walked and moved to third on a botched pickoff attempt, Pantier singled him home to cut the lead to 2-1. Pantier then stole second, and Drew Blalock doubled him home with two outs to tie the game. 

The Senators were not done in the bottom of the inning though, as Cabbage worked a 10-pitch at-bat before depositing a ball over the fence and off the scoreboard for a two-run homer that gave Walters State a 4-2 lead. 

Gaston would retake the lead with a run in the second and two in the top of the fifth, but Walters State tied it up in the bottom of the fifth with an RBI single by Fenton. 5-5 was the score until the seventh when the Rhinos broke through for two runs. Down to their final three outs, the Senators got a two-out single by Conner to bring up Fenton. Fenton wasted no time, tying the game on the first pitch with a home run to left. 

Both teams failed to score in the eighth, but Gaston again took a two-run lead in the ninth. Walters State would get a walk to Cabbage and Conner and a single by Fenton to load the bases with one out in the bottom half of the inning for Kenny Cox. Pinch-hitting, Cox hit a ball through the left side of the infield that scored two runs and tied the game. 

That was where the score would end, as Walters State put runners on second and third with no outs in the bottom of the 10th but could not get the winning run across. 

Up Next:

Walters State will be back in action next Friday at No. 12 Chipola College. The Senators will play Chipola at 12 pm ET and Southern Union State at 4 pm ET.