MORRISTOWN, Tenn. — After an offensive outburst over the weekend against Jackson State, the No. 16 Walters State baseball team kept it going on Thursday afternoon, taking down Milligan College JV, 19-0 at Ken Campbell field.
The Senators scored 12 runs in the first two innings and totaled 16 hits in the game. WSCC's pitching staff was just as good, allowing two hits and their seventh shutout of the season.
"We came out and started swinging the bats early," Walters State coach David Shelton said. "It's always good to do that during a midweek game. It's easy to have a lull during midweek, but we didn't do that. We threw seven pitchers, and they all threw strikes. It was a good game through all aspects of the game."
With the win, Walters State improves to 20-7 on the year, extending their win streak to seven games, the longest of the season.
The Senators got it going early, putting up a five spot in the first inning. Jerry Hammons led the scoring off with a home run and Caleb McNeely hit a two-run home run as well. It was McNeely's sixth home run of the year and RBI number 34.
In the second inning, Walters State continued the onslaught with seven more runs. Silas Butler started the inning off with his first home run of the season. Butler knocked in another run in the inning on a walk with the bases loaded while Matthew Ellis and Parker Stinnett each drove in two runs.
After one run in the fourth, the Senators tacked on four more in the fourth led by Max Riemer's two RBI double. After three scoreless innings, the Senators scored two more run in the bottom of the eighth on a Hodge single. It was Hodge's 42nd RBI of the season.
Ellis led the team in RBIs with four on the game while Hodge led the team with three hits. In all, 14 players took at bats for Walters State in the game.
"It's huge to be able to get basically every guy out there," Shelton said. "That was good to let everyone play about half the game for us. That's good for us and good for them to build their confidence up."
It was a bullpen day for the Senators on the mound as seven pitchers threw in the game. Caleb Pearson (2-0) got the start for Walters State, throwing the first inning.
Luke Persons followed suit with two innings, striking out four. Andrew Romanoli copied Persons line with two innings and four strikeouts while Hudson Ross, Sam Sutton, Skyler Cannady and Tanner Smith each threw a scoreless inning to close it out.
It was a good day for the Walters State pitching staff to enable their younger pitchers to toss a few innings and give Shelton confidence as conference play heats up.
"It's a start with these guys," Shelton said. "I need to keep seeing those outings for them. I told these guys that every day is an evaluation day, and that it takes time for them to gain my confidence, but it also takes time to lose it after you get it. But it was good today. It put good thoughts in my mind about running them out there in a tight situation."
NEXT UP
Walters State will be back in action on Friday, taking on conference foe Southwest Tennessee at Ken Campbell Field. The Senators will play a doubleheader on Friday, beginning at 1 p.m.