No. 3 Walters State dominates on the mound in sweep of King

MORRISTOWN, TN -- Robbie Yates and Blake Cooper combined to no-hit the King University JV team on Monday in game two of a doubleheader as No. 3 Walters State swept the Tornadoes 11-0 and 10-0. 

Yates got the start for the Senators, throwing four innings while striking out nine and walking one. Cooper replaced him in the fifth and threw a scoreless inning before the Senators scored seven runs in the bottom half of the inning to win the game.  

"Yates was phenomenal," Walters State coach Dave Shelton said. "He kind of looked like a different pitcher than what I have seen here. He looked really good. And then Blake Cooper did a really good job of closing it out." 

With the sweep, Walters State improves to 33-1 on the season and bumps their winning streak to 27 games.  

Both games ended in five innings as the Senators were able to close them out, something Shelton was very pleased about. 

"I was glad to see us close a team out," Shelton said. "We have been struggling with that lately, getting ahead and taking our foot off the gas pedal. That's not something you can do down the stretch. So it was good to do it today."  

NO. 3 WALTERS STATE 11, KING UNIVERSITY JV 0  

The offense was on full display in game one for Walters State as the Senators scored 11 runs on nine hits. 

The Senators were led by Alberto Osuna, Skyler Cannady and Alex Balisteri who each had two hits. Balisteri also led the team in RBIs with four.  

Walters State got the scoring going in the first when they loaded the bases and Jerry Hammons scored on a passed ball. Then, with the bases loaded once again, Cannady was hit by a pitch which allowed Matthew Ellis to score. Balisteri capped off the scoring in the first with a two RBI single.  

In the second, the Senators kept the foot on the gas with three more runs. First it was Osuna doubling and scoring Caleb McNeely. Then, after Ellis scored on a wild pitch, Corbin Shaw grounded out to third which knocked in Osuna and made it 7-0. 

Andrew Ott made it 8-0 in the third on a double that scored Cannady and McNeely added one more when he hit a solo home run over the scoreboard. Balisteri was back again to cap off the scoring in the fourth with a two RBI double.  

On the mound, Peyton Calitri got the start, throwing four innings and allowing just two hits while striking out five. Jacquez Gillespie-Taylor closed the game out in the fifth with a scoreless inning of work. 

"Peyton had been good his last couple outings just throwing strikes and giving us a chance, and he did that again today," Shelton said. "It was also good to see Jacquez out there. He looked good closing that one out."  

 NO. 3 WALTERS STATE 10, KING UNIVERSITY JV 0 

To go along with the superb pitching in game two, the bats remained hot for the Senators in yet another run-rule victory. 

At the plate Walters State was led by Noah Gent with two hits, one a home run, and Declan Wiesner with two hits. Hammons had two RBIs as did Gent.  

Following a scoreless first, Gent opened up the scoring for Walters State in the second with a home run over the left field fence. Still in the same inning, Hammons added to it when he singled in Wiesner.  

In the third, Wiesner picked up an RBI with a single that scored Osuna. However, it was the bottom of the fifth that ended the game as Walters State showed patience at the plate. Dalton McLain started the scoring on a walk with the bases loaded. Then, after Hammons was hit by a pitch which scored a run, Cam Fisher walked to score another run. 

The Senators finally picked up a hit in the inning next as Osuna singled in McLain. It was back to the walks after that as Block walked with the bases loaded which scored Hammons. Then, Gent singled home a run and Ott ended the game on a fielder's choice that allowed Osuna to score.  

UP NEXT: 

Walters State will be back in action on Tuesday, taking on Roane State for a doubleheader. Game one is set to begin at 1 p.m. at Ken Campbell Field.  

"This is the kind of the time where it can be a grind," Shelton said. "We are playing a lot of games right now and guys can get complacent when we are stringing together wins. But these guys have been good about staying focused, and we'll just keep that up."  

Rob Harvey

Walters State Community College

Sports Information Director

Cell: (423) 779-8880

Email: sportsinfo@ws.edu

Website: www.ws.edu/athletics