No. 15 Walters State slugs past Dyersburg State, 14-4 and 16-5

MORRISTOWN, TN – No. 15 Walters State collected 32 hits on Friday afternoon against Dyersburg State, going on for a 14-4 win in five innings and a 16-5 win in six innings. 

With the sweep, the Senators improved to 29-6 overall and 14-4 in TCCAA play. Walters State has now won its last 10 games. 

GAME ONE: No. 15 Walters State 14, Dyersburg State 4 (5 Innings)

In game one, the Senators scored 14 runs on 14 hits.

Holden Pantier led the way with a home run and four RBIs, while Miles Shore and Kenny Cox each had three hits and three RBIs. Cox and Hayden Blair both homered, as well.

On the mound, Preston Allen got the start and threw two innings. Allen allowed three runs on five hits and struck out five. Ryan Smith (1-1) replaced Allen in the third and threw the next two innings. Smith allowed just one hit and struck out three. Colton Richards threw the final inning, allowing one run on one hit while striking out one. 

Dyersburg struck first with a run in the top of the first, but Walters State answered in the bottom of the inning with three runs. Pantier started it off with a single and moved to second on a Drew Blalock single. That brought up Shore, and he doubled to score Pantier and tie the game. Cox was next up, and he scored Shore and Blalock with a double that made it a 3-1 game. 

Dyersburg tied the game at three with two runs in the second, but Cox smacked a solo home run in the bottom of the third that made it 4-3. Blair then homered in the fourth to make it 5-3, and Shore singled in two more runs later in the inning to make it 7-3. The Senators weren't done in the fourth, as Shore scored on a double steal and Jackson Berry singled in Cox to make it 9-3.

The Eagles picked up a run in the fifth, but Walters State scored five in the bottom of the inning to end it. Blair opened the inning with a walk, and Jaxon Walker and Kole Fenton followed with walks to load the bases. Pantier was next up, and he drove them all in with a grand slam to make it 13-4. The Senators loaded the bases back up later in the inning, and Davis Peralta was hit by a pitch to score Shore and end it. 

GAME TWO: No. 15 Walters State 16, Dyersburg State 5 (6 Innings)

In game two, Walters State picked up 18 more hits to complete the sweep.

Pantier smacked two more home runs in the game, while Blair also hit two more home runs. Pantier has 13 home runs and 65 RBIs on the season now, and Blair has 13 home runs and 40 RBIs. 

Along with those two, Shore homered and drove home two runs, and Cox added three more hits and two RBIs. 

On the mound, Hayden Mills (3-0) got the start and threw 3.2 innings. Mills allowed five runs on five hits and struck out five. Lorenzo Atwell then faced a batter, and Bridger Hamilton followed him with 1.1 innings. Hamilton struck out one and didn't allow a hit. Lane Sharp pitched the final inning and struck out the side. 

Dyersburg struck for two runs in the top of the first, but Blair gave Walters State the lead in the bottom of the inning with a three-run home run. The Senators added to their lead in the second with five more runs that made it 8-2. Those runs scored on a fielder's choice that brought a run in, a Blair two-run home run and a Justin Bell two-RBI single.

In the third, Pantier hit his first home run of the game, a solo shot that made it 9-2. Three batters later, it was 10-2 as Cox singled home Blair. 

However, Dyersburg kept in it and scored three in the top of the fourth. In the fifth, Cox drove in another run when he singled home Blalock. Shore was next up, and he made it 13-5 with a two-run home run. 

The final three runs for Walters State came in the sixth as Luke Jenkins doubled in Luke Graham and Pantier smacked his second home run of the game, a two-run shot that ended it at 16-5. 

Up Next:

Walters State is home on Tuesday, hosting Cleveland State for two non-conference games. The DH is scheduled to begin at 1 pm ET.