8th-ranked Lady Senators clinch top seed in TCCAA Tournament with sweep of Dyersburg State

MORRISTOWN, TN – No. 8 Walters State clinched at least a tie of the TCCAA regular season championship and the No. 1 seed in the TCCAA Tournament on Friday afternoon, sweeping Dyersburg State. The Lady Senators won 8-0 in game one and 6-3 in game two.

With the wins, Walters State closed the regular season at 41-7 overall and 31-5 in TCCAA play.

"This team has fought through a lot, and I'm very proud of them," Walters State coach Larry Sauceman said. "We had a pitcher out for a month and have had other injuries but just kept on plugging along. They've done a great job. We just have to keep it going in postseason play." 

GAME ONE: No. 8 Walters State 8, Dyersburg State 0 (6 Innings)

In game one, the Lady Senators scored seven runs in the final two innings to end the contest early.

Tori Coffman (18-1) got the start in the circle and threw yet another complete game shutout. Coffman struck out 13 in the contest, eclipsing the 500 career strikeout mark in the second inning.

At the plate, Jules Johnson hit her 17th home run of the season and drove in two runs while Imari Golden had three hits and scored twice. Nora Mack and Kendal Mason each had two hits, as well. 

It was a scoreless game until the bottom of the second, when the Lady Senators got on the board with an RBI single by Mason. That was the score until the fifth, when Walters State broke the game open with five runs. Brooklyn Copley led things off with a double and scored on a Johnson two-run homer. The final three runs came on a hit by pitch with the bases-loaded, a Kailey Dixon sacrifice fly and a bases-loaded walk that made it 6-0.

The Lady Senators needed two runs in the sixth to end things early and got them. Golden singled with one out, moved to second on a hit by pitch to Mason and scored on a hit to the outfield by Taylor. Mason also scored on the hit. 

GAME TWO: No. 8 Walters State 6, Dyersburg State 3

In game two, Walters State put up three runs in the fourth and fifth innings and held on for the sweep.

At the plate, Johnson drove in two more runs. Sarah Evers had two RBI, as well. 

In the circle, Hayley Lawing got the start and threw 3.1 innings. She allowed no runs on three hits and struck out one. Makayla Ramsey replaced Lawing in the fourth and threw the next two innings, giving up three runs on four hits. Coffman replaced Ramsey with an out in the sixth and threw the final 1.2 innings. She gave up two hits and struck out two. 

It was a scoreless game until the fourth, when the Lady Senators broke through with three runs. Nora Mack led things off with a walk and moved to second on a Copley single. That brought up Johnson, and she scored both of them with a two-RBI single. The third run came later in the inning, as Haidyn Campbell singled home Johnson.

The lead grew for the Lady Senators in the fifth, as Golden scored a run on a fielder's choice and Evers singled home two runs to make it 6-0. 

Dyersburg got three runs in the sixth, but Coffman entered and shut the door to preserve the win. 

Up Next:

Walters State will participate in the TCCAA Tournament at Columbia State next. The tournament is from May 5th-9th.

Rob Harvey

Walters State Community College

Sports Information Director

Cell: (423) 779-8880

Email: sportsinfo@ws.edu

Website: www.ws.edu/athletics