No. 13 Walters State raises win streak to 12 games with doubleheader sweep over Cleveland State

MORRISTOWN, TN – No. 13 Walters State homered seven times in 11 innings on Tuesday, sweeping a doubleheader over Cleveland State, 19-7 in six innings and 14-4 in five innings. 

With the win, the Senators improved to 31-6 on the season. Walters State has now won its last 12 games. 

GAME ONE: No. 13 Walters State 19, Cleveland State 7 (6 Innings) 

In game one, Hayden Blair homered twice and drove in six runs to lead the way. 

Blair doubled in the first inning, mashed a two-run home run in the third inning and capped the game off with a grand slam in the sixth inning. 

Along with Blair, Holden Pantier had three hits and two RBIs, while Drew Blalock homered and drove in four runs. Miles Shore also homered, and Jackson Berry had two hits and two RBIs. 

On the mound, Blalock got the start and threw 2.1 innings. He gave up three runs on three hits and struck out two. Justin Bell (1-0) replaced Blalock with two outs in the third and threw the final 3.2 innings. Bell gave up four runs on five hits and struck out six.

The Senators struck in the first, as Pantier singled, moved to third on a Blair double and scored on a Blalock groundout. In the top of the third, Cleveland State took a 3-1 lead, but Walters State tied the game back up in the bottom of the inning. Kole Fenton led off with a double, and Blair followed with a two-run home run.

The Cougars briefly took the lead back with three runs in the top of the fourth, but Walters State scored eight runs in the bottom of the inning to make it an 11-6 game. Berry got things started with a single, and Luke Graham walked to put two on. Jaxon Walker was next up, and he singled to score Berry. Following a walk to Fenton, Pantier doubled in two runs to tie the game at six. Blalock then hit a sacrifice fly to score Fenton and give the Senators the lead, and Kenny Cox followed with an RBI single to make it 8-6. The final three runs of the inning came on a Berry two-RBI single and a Graham RBI single. 

In the fifth, Walters State picked up four more runs on two-run home runs by Blalock and Shore to make it 15-6. Cleveland got one run in the top of the sixth, but Walters State ended it in the bottom of the sixth when they loaded the bases and Blair blasted a grand slam.

GAME TWO: No. 13 Walters State 14, Cleveland State 4 (5 Innings) 

In game two, a seven-run fourth inning helped the Senators complete the sweep.

At the plate, Blalock homered two more times and drove in three runs. Bell homered and drove in two runs, and Fenton had three hits and drove in three runs. 

On the mound, Mason Grindstaff got the start and threw 1.2 innings. Grindstaff allowed three runs, two earned, on three hits and struck out three. Following an appearance from David Hamilton, he picked up a strikeout, Ryan Smith (2-1) threw the final three innings. Smith allowed one run on two hits and struck out six. 

The Senators picked up a run in the first on a fielder's choice that scored Fenton, but Cleveland State scored three in the second to grab a 3-1 advantage. In the third, the Senators got the lead back when Blalock smacked a solo home run and Bell hit a two-run shot that made it 4-3. 

The fourth inning saw Walters State take complete control of the game. Fenton led off with a double, and Pantier drove him in with a double. Blair then doubled to score Pantier, and Blalock hit a two-run home run to make it 8-3. The scoring continued in the inning, as Brady Dalton singled, moved to second on a Graham single, to third on a walk and scored on a wild pitch. Fenton then singled in two more runs, and it was 11-3. 

In the fifth, Cleveland State picked up one more run, but the Senators scored three in the bottom of the inning to end it. Those runs came on a hit by pitch with the bases loaded and two bases loaded walks that made it 14-4. 

Up Next:

Walters State is on the road this weekend, taking on Columbia State. Friday's game is set for 5 pm ET.