No. 4 Walters State scores 30 runs in doubleheader sweep of Motlow State

TULLAHOMA, TN – No. 4 Walters State homered eight times and scored 30 runs against Motlow State on Thursday afternoon, taking both games of the doubleheader, 15-9 and 15-2.

With the wins, the Senators improved to 13-2 overall and 5-0 in TCCAA play. 

GAME ONE: No. 4 Walters State 15, Motlow State 9

In game one, the Senators fell behind 7-5 before scoring 10 straight runs over the final three innings. 

Holden Pantier led the way at the plate, going 3-5 with a home run and six RBIs. In 15 games this season, Pantier is hitting .531 with three home runs and 28 RBIs. 

Along with Pantier, Drew Blalock and Kenny Cox both homered. Blalock drove in three runs, as well.

On the mound, Preston Allen got the start and allowed seven runs on six hits in 2.2 innings of work. Sam Martell (1-0) replaced Allen with two outs in the third and was fantastic in relief. Martell threw the final 4.1 innings, allowing two runs on one hit while striking out 11 of the 16 batters he faced. 

The Senators struck early in the game when Pantier smoked a two-run home run two batters into the game. In the second, Walters State tacked on three more runs, as Cox scored on a wild pitch, Fenton doubled home Jaxon Walker and Hayden Blair doubled in Fenton to make it 5-0.

However, Motlow hit three home runs and scored seven runs in the third to grab a 7-5 lead. That was the score until the top of the fifth, when Blair walked, Blalock singled and Justin Bell was hit by a pitch to load the bases with two outs. With Cox up to the plate, the Motlow catcher attempted to back-pick Bell at first. But, the ball got away and into the outfield, scoring Blair and Blalock to tie the game. 

Martell kept the game tied at seven in the bottom of the fifth, striking out the side, and Cox led off the sixth with a solo home run to give the Senators the lead. Walters State continued to charge in the inning, as Fenton walked and scored on a Pantier double. Following a Blair walk, Blalock made it 12-7 with a 3-run bomb. 

The Senators final three runs came in the top of the seventh, when Pantier cleared the bases with a 3-RBI double. Motlow hit a two-run home run with two outs, but that was all. 

GAME TWO: No. 4 Walters State 15, Motlow State 2 (5 Innings) 

In game two, the Senators tacked on five more home runs. 

Blair led the way in game two, smacking his fifth and sixth home runs of the season. Fenton, Pantier and Blalock each homered, as well, and Fenton had four RBIs. 

On the mound, Tim Tyler (5-0) got the start and threw four innings. Tyler allowed two runs on two hits and struck out six. Lane Sharp pitched the final inning and struck out the side. 

Motlow scored in the first to take an early lead, but Walters State took control with six runs in the second. Those runs came on a wild pitch that scored Bell, a Fenton 3-run home run and a Blair 2-run homer. Motlow cut the lead to 6-2 in the bottom half of the inning, but the Senators scored two more in the third when Walker singled home Bell and Fenton flew out but scored Cox. 

In the fifth, the Senators closed things out with seven runs. A Cox RBI single started the scoring, and after a Walker sacrifice fly that scored Cox, Pantier smacked a two-run home run. Blair was next up, and he hit a solo shot, and Blalock followed him up with a solo shot to go back-to-back-to-back. The final run came on an error that scored Luke Graham to make it 15-2.

Up Next:

Walters State is back in action on Friday at Motlow State. The 9-inning game is scheduled to start at 1 pm ET.