MORRISTOWN, Tenn. — Walters State swept a twinbill from visiting Jackson State Sunday afternoon but it wasn't the way Lady Senators fans are accustomed to seeing it.
This doubleheader sweep came by riding the potent bats to victory as the Lady Senators pounded out 31 hits and smacked seven home runs in the two games and came from behind in both.
Coach Larry Sauceman's club spotted the Lady Green Jays a 4-0 lead in the top of the first of the opener but hit back-to-back-to-back home runs in the bottom of the frame and clubbed two more in the second on their way to an 11-8 triumph.
It was more of the same in the second contest as Jackson State scored five times in the second before the Lady Senators rallied for a 13-8 victory.
With the sweep, Walters State improved to 11-7 for the season and are now 4-4 in Tennessee Community College Athletic Association action. The Green Jays fell to 3-5 in the conference and 11-15 overall.
The wins give WSCC the 3-1 series victory over Jackson State. Walters State and JSCC split Saturday's doubleheader, with the Lady Green Jays winning 11-4 in the opener and the Lady Senators taking game two 16-15 in walk-off fashion.
Combined with Saturday when the two clubs split, an unheard of total of 86 runs scored in the four games. The Lady Senators had hit just four home runs in their first 14 games of the season but pounded out 13 in taking three of four.
A pair of local Morristown products played huge roles in Sunday's sweep. Morristown West's Macey Hefner and Morristown East's Katelyn Harper collected five hits each with Hefner hitting two round-trippers and Harper adding another.
Sydney Dukes and Kallyn Newport also had five hits apiece on Sunday with each hitting a home run. Jenica Brown and Hayley Parrott also homered. Morgan Riffle picked up the circle victory in relief in the opener and pitched the entire seven innings in the nightcap to improve to 5-3 for the season.
When asked if he would have thought his team could surrender 42 runs in the four games and still take three of four, Sauceman said, "Are you kidding me? Is that what we gave up, 42 Man that's unbelievable.
"You know, we got down in both games but the kids just kept swinging the sticks and you saw what happened."
Sauceman cautioned, "But I'll tell you something. If we don't get better on defense and at pitching in a hurry we're not going to win three of four too many times." The coach said, "We gave up way too many runs and it sure wasn't all the pitchers' faults. We booted balls and threw to the wrong base and dropped a fly ball in the outfield. Things like that usually get you beat. That's what I mean about getting better.
"We can't give teams runs like that and just expect to outscore them. We've got a long way to go." Sauceman said he was pretty sure the Lady Senators were going to hit the softball. "We faced some really good competition earlier on the road trips and hit the ball. So I figured when we got into league play, we'd be all right swinging the bats."
The Lady Senators were better than all right on Sunday. The Green Jays scored four times in their first at bat of the day, but Dukes singled with one out in the bottom of the inning and Hefner, Newport and Parrott blasted homers to tie the game.
Brown and Hefner went deep to put the Lady Senators in front in the second and it stayed 6-4 until the Green Jays scored four times in the fifth to regain the lead. Emma Simpson's three-run shot was the big hit.
However, Walters State won it with a five-run sixth. Hefner singled in a run and Newport double scored two more. Pinch hitter Alexis Duff banged another hit for the final two markers.
Dukes homered to give the Lady Senators a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first before Jackson State collected five hits and scored five times in the second to take the upper hand.
However, the lead didn't last long as the home team plated five in the bottom half. Dukes, who got four of her safeties in this win, had a double for the big blow.
The visitors scored a run in the fourth but Harper's three-run homer highlighted a four-run burst by the Lady Senators in the bottom of the frame. Duff had another two-run pinch single in the fifth when Walters State scored its final three runs.
NEXT UP
WSCC is back home for a Wednesday two-for against Catawba Valley. First pitch of game one is set for 1 p.m.