16th-ranked Senators sweep Volunteer State on Sophomore Day

MORRISTOWN, TN – No. 16 Walters State celebrated Sophomore Day on Saturday, and the Senators honored their 15 sophomores with a sweep of Volunteer State. Walters State won 14-4 in game one and 13-4 in game two. 

With the sweep, the Senators improved to 40-10 overall and 21-6 in TCCAA play.

GAME ONE: No. 16 Walters State 14, Volunteer State 4 (5 Innings)

In game one, Hayden Blair and Kenny Cox homered in the win. 

Cox had three hits and three RBIs in the game, while Blair had two hits and three RBIs. Jackson Berry had three RBIs, as well. 

On the mound, Brady Scott (5-0) got the start and threw three innings. Scott allowed two runs on four hits and struck out two. Dakota Crumbley replaced Scott in the fourth and struck out one in a hitless inning, and Justin Bell got two outs in the fifth while giving up two runs. David Hamilton picked up the final out in the fifth. 

Volunteer State got a run in the top of the first, but the Senators answered back with five runs in the bottom of the inning. Kole Fenton doubled to open the inning, and Holden Pantier followed with a walk. Blair was next up, and he doubled to score Fenton and move Pantier to third. Following a groundout by Drew Blalock that scored Pantier, Cox stepped to the plate and smoked a two-run home run that made it 4-1. The final run of the inning came when Miles Shore singled and scored on a Berry double. 

In the second, the Senators added four more runs to extend the lead to 9-1. Pantier opened things with a single, and Blair walked to put two runners on. Cox came up two batters later, and he doubled to score Pantier. Shore then walked, and Berry singled two runners in. The final run scored on a Jaxon Walker single that drove home Shore. 

The Pioneers scored a run in the third to cut into the lead, but Walters State tallied four runs to put the game out of reach. Those runs scored on a Fenton groundout that drove home Luke Graham, a Pantier RBI single and a Blair two-run homer to make it 13-2. It was Blair's 21st home run of the season. 

Volunteer State scored its final two runs in the top of the fifth to briefly keep the game going, but Walters State ended things in the bottom of the inning when Luke Jenkins singled in Cox. 

GAME TWO: No. 16 Walters State 13, Volunteer State 4

In game two, Blalock was a perfect 3-3 at the plate with two home runs, a double and five RBIs. 

For the season, Blalock is now hitting .358 with 20 home runs and 63 RBIs. 

Along with Blalock in game two, Cox picked up three more hits and had three RBIs. Fenton drove in two runs, as well. 

On the mound, Hayden Mills got the start and threw two innings. Mills allowed four runs on five hits. Ryan Smith (3-1) replaced Mills in the third and threw a scoreless inning, and Major Osbolt followed with three innings of one-hit baseball. Osbolt struck out four. Tim Tyler threw the final inning, striking out two while not allowing a hit. 

The Pioneers scored three runs in the top of the first, but Walters State tied the game in the bottom of the inning when Blalock snuck a pitch over the fence for a three-run opposite field home run. Volunteer State took one final lead with a run in the top of the second, but the Senators took the lead in the third with three runs. Cox singled home two of those runs, and a wild pitch scored Cox to make it 6-4. 

Following a run in the fourth on a Cox sacrifice fly that drove home Pantier, Walters State concluded the scoring in the fifth with six runs. Berry led off the inning with a single, and Walker put two on with a base on balls. Fenton was next up, and he singled home two runs to make it 9-4. Pantier put two back on base with a single, and pinch-runner Luke Jenkins scored on a wild pitch. Blair then singled home Pantier, and Blalock followed with a two-run shot for his second home run of the game to make it 13-4.

Up Next:

Walters State is back in action on Monday, traveling to Roane State for a non-conference doubleheader. First pitch is set for 1 pm ET.