MORRISTOWN, TN -- When you talk Walters State baseball, the first thing most people think of is hitting, but the big story was the pitching on Saturday as the Senators swept Motlow State to extend their school-record winning streak to 31 straight.
Neither starting pitcher allowed a run with four hurlers combining for a shutout in the second game as the third-ranked Senators came away with a 9-1 triumph in the opener and then blanked the Bucks, 7-0, in the nightcap at Ken Campbell Field.
The hitting was there also as Walters State collected 20 hits that included five home runs in the twinbill and improved to 37-1 overall and 20-1 in Tennessee Community College Athletic Association play. Home runs produced eight of the Senators' runs in the first game.
Nathan Hickman got his first start on the mound in the first game and threw six scoreless innings and Jake Knapp tossed seven innings in the second game. The two combined for 24 strike outs with Knapp fanning 14. The Senators finished the day with 31 total strike outs.
Coach Dave Shelton said, "Our pitchers did a great job. I can't say enough about the how Hickman and Knapp gave us quality starts. Probably more than I've seen throughout the year, they just attacked the strike zone.
"They also both kept their pitch counts down so they were able to go deep into the games," he added. "That's something we've had an issue with. It was great to see those guys do that."
Shelton said, "Some of our guys weren't feeling their best physically today. I thought we showed a lot of heart and character and battled through it. It was just an awesome job and I'm really proud of them.
"We hit it pretty well especially late in the first game," he said. "We picked it up late in that one. We're still squandering some opportunities here and there. We've got to get better and just put teams away. But I can't complain."
Motlow State saw its record fall to 14-14 and 8-11 in the conference.
Game One
Hickman and the Bucks' Ethan Anderson locked up in a scoreless duel through the first three innings. Anderson left the mound after throwing two pitches in the fourth and Logan Ketron came in to pitch.
Alberto Osuna greeted him with one of his three hits and, one out later, Caleb McNeely singled.
Noah Gent broke up the scoreless streak as he clubbed his fifth home run of the year just to the right of the scoreboard to give Hickman a 3-0 lead.
Walters State added a marker in the fifth when Osuna singled again, stole second and scored on another hit by McNeely.
The Senators smacked three more round-trippers in the sixth as they closed out their scoring. Silas Butler got it started when he slugged his third of the season with one out.
After another out, Jerry Hammons doubled and Osuna was walked intentionally. Catcher Cam Fisher then clouted his eighth home run to close the scoring.
Motlow got a run in the final inning without getting a hit. Carson Kirby walked, stole second and went to third as the throw went into the outfield. He then scored on a wild pitch. Reliever Cole Drake struck out the other three batters he faced.
Osuna and McNeely had three safeties apiece while Butler added two.
Hickman gave up five singles, walked two and struck out 10 in notching the mound decision.
Game Two
Knapp was the big story in this one. He scattered five hits through seven innings. He walked only one and fanned 14 in upping his record to 5-0.
After Blake Cooper walked the first three he faced in the eighth, Drew Honeycutt came on and struck out three straight to preserve the shutout. Jacquez Gillespie-Taylor allowed two hits in the ninth in closing out the victory.
Motlow State had a chance to score in the first as the first two runners reached base. However, the runner on second was stealing third when the next batter popped up to right fielder Dalton McLain and he doubled him off second.
The Senators got the only runs it needed in the bottom of the frame after two were out. Osuna doubled and Fisher doubled him home. McNeely's single then made it 2-0.
Butler scored in the second on a base hit by Skyler Cannady who upped the count to 4-0 with his first home run of the season in the fifth inning.
Hits by Fisher and Gent and a walk by McLain loaded the sacks in the sixth. One run scored on a balk and another on a wild pitch to increase the lead to 6-0.
The final run scored when McLain was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in the seventh frame.
Cannady and Fisher had two hits apiece for the Senators while Wells Gunter collected three and Brandon Horsley had two for the Bucks.
Bryce Valero, first of three hurlers for Motlow, was charged with the loss.
Rob Harvey
Walters State Community College
Sports Information Director
Cell: (423) 779-8880
Email: sportsinfo@ws.edu
Website: www.ws.edu/athletics