4th-ranked Senators open the season with dominating wins over USC Salkehatchie

MORRISTOWN, TN – No. 4 Walters State scored 33 runs and allowed just three hits in Friday's doubleheader to open the season against USC Salkehatchie, and the Senators picked up 11-0 and 22-0 wins. 

With the doubleheader sweep, Walters State improved to 2-0 on the season. 

GAME ONE: No. 4 Walters State 11, USC Salkehatchie 0 (5 Innings)

In game one, the Senators scored in each of the first four innings on their way to the win.

At the plate, Drew Blalock and Brady Dalton each homered while Blalock, Justin Bell and Luke Graham all had two hits. Blalock, Bell, Dalton and Jackson Berry had two RBIs each. 

On the mound, Brady Scott (1-0) got the start and picked up his first win of the season. Scott allowed no runs in his two innings of work and struck out three. Preston Allen replaced Scott in the third and threw the next two innings. Allen struck out five and allowed just two hits. 

Ryan Smith relieved Allen in the fifth and threw the final inning. Smith struck out two in a clean inning to finish things off. 

Blalock got the scoring going for Walters State in the game, homering with two outs in the top of the first after a walk to Hayden Blair. The Senators added two more runs in the second on an error that scored Graham and Bell, and Dalton smacked a two-run home run later in the inning to make it 6-0.

In the third, Bell led things off with a single, moved to third on a Graham double and scored on a Berry sacrifice fly. Walters State concluded its scoring in the fourth inning when Bell doubled home two runs, Graham doubled in Bell and Graham scored on a Dalton walk to make it 11-0. 

GAME TWO: No. 4 Walters State 22, USC Salkehatchie 0 (5 innings)

In game two, Walters State scored 12 runs in the opening inning and never looked back.

Leading the way at the plate for the Senators in the game was Hayden Blair. Blair hit a grand slam and drove in seven runs. Bell also hit a grand slam, while Holden Pantier had three hits and five RBIs. 

On the mound, the Senators were sharp again, allowing just one hit. Tim Tyler (1-0)  got the start in the game and struck out five of the eight batters he faced. Tyler allowed just one hit. 

Following Tyler was Major Osbolt, and he threw two innings. Osbolt didn't allow a hit and struck out four. In the fifth, Sam Martell started the inning and struck out the first two batters. Lane Sharp got the final out, a strikeout, to end the game. 

As a pitching staff, Walters State did not issue a walk over the 10 innings played during the day. 

The first inning saw 17 batters come to the plate for Walters State. Kole Fenton led things off with a single, and he moved to third on a single by Pantier. Following a hit by pitch that loaded the bases, Fenton scored on a balk. Blalock then walked, and Kenny Cox was hit by a pitch to score Pantier. Bell was next up, and he smoked a grand slam to make it 6-0.

Two errors and a walk reloaded the bases, and Fenton made it 7-0 with a sacrifice fly that scored Graham. After Pantier walked to reload the bases, Blair smashed his grand slam to make it 11-0. The final run of the inning came on a sacrifice fly from Graham that scored Blalock. 

In the second, Walters State kept the scoring going with a Pantier two-RBI double and a Blalock sacrifice fly that scored Pantier to make it 15-0. The score was 17-0 in the third when Pantier doubled home two more runs, and Walters State closed things out with five more runs in the fifth. Those runs came on a Pantier hit by pitch with the bases loaded, a Blair three-RBI double and a Dalton sacrifice fly that scored Blair to make it 22-0.

Up Next:

Walters State is scheduled to be back in action next Saturday, January 31, at home against Harford. First pitch of the doubleheader is scheduled for 12 pm ET.