4th-ranked Senators open TCCAA play with doubleheader sweep of Pellissippi State 

KNOXVILLE, TN – No. 4 Walters State needed a late-inning rally on Thursday afternoon in game one against Pellissippi State, going on for a 2-1 win, but the bats woke up in game two as the Senators completed the sweep with an 11-4 win. 

With the sweep, the Senators improved to 9-2 on the season and 2-0 in TCCAA play. 

GAME ONE: No. 4 Walters State 2, Pellissippi State 1

In game one, the Senators scored a run in the sixth and one in the seventh and picked up the win.

Walters State got a great start on the mound from Brady Scott in the opening game, going 5.2 innings and allowing one run on six hits. Scott struck out nine and didn't walk a batter. Lane Sharp (1-1) replaced Scott with two outs in the sixth and got out of a jam, before locking up the win with a scoreless seventh.

At the plate, Holden Pantier hit a game-tying triple, while Drew Blalock picked up Walters State's other hit.

Scott set the tone for Walters State from the jump, striking out two in the first, one in the second and one in the third. Scott gave up a bloop single in the fourth that allowed a Pellissippi runner to score but left two stranded with back-to-back strikeouts. Scott picked up two more strikeouts in the fifth.

In the sixth, the Senators finally got some offense. With two outs, Kole Fenton reached on an error, bringing up Pantier. Pantier launched a pitch into right and off the glove of the right fielder, who attempted to make a difficult catch. Fenton came all the way around to score to tie the game, and Pantier ended up on third with a triple. 

In the bottom half of the sixth, Pellissippi State put runners on first and second with two outs. However, Sharp entered the game and picked up a groundout to get out of the inning. 

In the seventh, Blalock opened the inning with a single, and the bases were loaded when Luke Graham and Kenny Cox walked. Justin Bell was the next batter, and during his at-bat, a pitch got away from the catcher and allowed pinch-runner Jackson Berry to race home for the lead.

In the bottom half of the inning, Sharp got two quick outs before a walk put a Panthers runner on. The runner advanced to second on a wild pitch, but Sharp got a groundout to second to end the game. 

GAME TWO: No. 4 Walters State 11, Pellissippi State 4

In game two, Walters State scored in each of the first four innings and completed the sweep. 

At the plate, Graham, Bell and Jaxon Walker each homered. Graham, Blalock and Fenton drove in two runs apiece, while Miles Shore picked up two hits. 

On the mound, Preston Allen (2-0) blew away the Pellissippi hitters. Allen threw four innings, struck out nine and allowed just two hits. Sam Martell replaced Allen in the fifth and threw two innings, allowing an unearned run and striking out two, and Lorenzo Atwell gave up three runs in the final inning. 

Walters State loaded the bases in the opening inning, and Blalock scored a run on a fielder's choice before Graham hit a sacrifice fly that drove home Pantier to make it 2-0. In the second, Walters State put two on with one out, and Fenton singled them both in to make it 4-0. Following a Cox single that scored Fenton, Blalock doubled in the gap to score Pantier and make it 6-0.

Walters State added a run in the third on a Bell solo homer and two runs in the fourth on a Graham home run and an error that scored Shore to make it 9-0. Pellissippi State scored a run in the sixth, but Walker answered with a solo home run in the seventh. Walters State added one more run in the inning when Davis Peralta singled in Luke Jenkins to make it 11-1. Pellissippi scored three runs in the seventh, but that was all. 

Up Next:

Walters State is back in action at Pellissippi State on Friday. The nine-inning game is scheduled to begin at 12 pm ET.