No. 16 Walters State wins opener over Jackson State, 17-7
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 4 | 2 |
|
|
1 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 17 | 15 | 2 |
MORRISTOWN, TN – Under the lights for one of the first times this season, No. 16 Walters State won its opener over Jackson State on Friday evening, 17-7 in eight innings.
With the victory, the Senators improved to 34-9 overall and 16-6 in TCCAA play.
Holden Pantier, Kenny Cox and Luke Graham all homered in the game for Walters State. Pantier had three hits and three RBIs, while Cox drove in four runs. Graham, Hayden Blair and Justin Bell both had two RBIs.
On the mound, Preston Allen (5-0) got the start and threw four innings. Allen allowed two runs, one earned, on two hits and struck out nine. Allen now has 71 strikeouts in 37.2 innings pitched.
Following Allen, Logan Quales entered for the first time this season and threw a scoreless inning. Quales struck out one. Dakota Crumbley was next in line, and he threw the sixth inning, allowing two runs on one hit. David Hamilton got one out in the seventh, allowing three runs, and Lorenzo Atwell pitched the final 1.2 innings. Atwell struck out three and didn't allow a hit.
Jackson State led off the game with a home run, but Miles Shore got the run back in the bottom of the inning when he was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded. The Green Jays briefly took the lead back in the top of the second, but Walters State scored five in the bottom of the inning to take control. Jaxon Walker started things with a one-out single, and Pantier singled him to third. Walker came home to score on a double steal, and Pantier scored to give Walters State a 3-2 lead when Blair singled. Following a Drew Blalock walk, Cox singled home Blair and Bell doubled in Cox and Blalock to make it 6-2.
In the bottom of the third, Walters State tacked on three more runs when Pantier smoked a three-run home run. The lead grew to 10-2 when Graham led off the fourth with a solo home run, and it was 11-2 following a Blair sacrifice fly that scored Walker. The final three runs of the inning came when Cox smacked a three-run home run that made it 14-2.
Walters State added another run in the fifth on a Kole Fenton RBI single, but Jackson State scored two in the sixth to make it 16-4. Walters State got a run back in the bottom of the sixth on a Graham sacrifice fly, but Jackson State answered with three in the seventh to keep the game going.
In the eighth, Davis Peralta doubled and moved to third on a passed ball. With two outs, Jackson Berry stepped up and singled Peralta home to end the game at 17-7.
Up Next:
Walters State and Jackson State are back in action on Saturday for two more games. The doubleheader is set to begin at 1 pm ET, with a ceremony celebrating the 2006 World Series team to take place at 12:40 pm ET.
