No. 1 Walters State explodes for 16 runs in victory over College of Central Florida

GRAND JUNCTION, CO – It almost felt like deja vu for No. 1 Walters State on Monday evening in their second game of the NJCAA DI JUCO World Series. 

On Saturday, the Senators trailed by four runs before rallying to score 10 unanswered and defeat Harford.

On Monday, they one-upped it. 

Trailing 5-2 in the fourth, Walters State scored seven runs in the bottom of the fourth, two in the bottom fifth, four in the bottom seventh and then one in the bottom of the eighth to run-rule No. 4 seeded Central Florida, 16-8. 

With the win, Walters State improved to 59-5 on the season and moved on in the winner's bracket. They will take on the winner of Wabash Valley and Crowder on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. Mountain Time. 

The ballgame was the annual Memorial Day night game at the World Series and featured a helicopter landing and postgame fireworks. The announced attendance was 10,624. 

"Is there a better setting for baseball at any level than what we just saw out there," Walters State coach Dave Shelton said. "The crowd, the ceremony before and the fireworks after. I am proud of my guys. It's a resilient bunch. They got punched in the mouth early, and they responded really well. We talk about that, especially out here. You can't get down and let things get to you. You just have to keep battling. Really proud of everyone on the team." 

It hasn't been a normal start to the World Series for the Senators as they still have yet to hit a home run after leading the country in home runs during the regular season. 

However, showing their veteran play, the Senators haven't let that affect them at the plate. On Monday, Walters State had 16 hits to go along with their 16 runs. 

"I think we're just settling into the environment," Walters State outfielder Colby Backus said. "We're just trying not to get too amped-up and yank the ball so that it goes up in the air. We're staying consistent with our low line drive approach. We're rolling, but we still need to keep calm and stay focused every game the rest of the way." 

Trailing 5-2, the fourth inning explosion was started off by Noah Gent as he singled through the left side. Gent was 3-3 in the game with two walks and two RBIs. Gent is now 7-8 in the World Series.

Following Gent's hit, Walters State loaded the bases and Dalton McLain scored Gent on a fielder's choice to make it 5-3. Caleb Marmo was next up and singled in two runs to tie the game.  

Central Florida then walked Caleb McNeely to load the bases and brought up Nick Block. Block delivered with a rocket up the middle that scored two and made it 7-5 Senators. 

"We were just rolling," Block said. "The whole at-bat, I was just looking for something away. Luckily, I got the fastball over the heart of the plate and just took it back up the middle and put a good swing." 

The Senators would score two more in the inning on a Backus sacrifice fly and Gent double. 

On the mound, Kohl Drake got the start and made it through 3.2 innings, allowing five runs on eight hits while striking out four. 

With two outs in the fourth, Drake made way for Joey Mitchell who threw the rest of the game. Mitchell was phenomenal in 4.1 innings of work, allowing three runs on three hits while striking out four. Mitchell pitched three straight scoreless innings in the sixth, seventh and eighth to keep Central Florida at bay.

For Mitchell, it was a satisfying result after struggling in Grand Junction last season. 

"Coming back out here again, I feel like experience helps when you get out on the mound," Mitchell said. "In front of 10,000 people, I had to keep my emotions in check and not show them too much. I feel like I handled it really well." 

At the plate, along with Gent, McLain had three hits in the game while Corbin Shaw and Andrew Ott had two hits apiece. Ott also walked twice and has now reached base in seven of his eight plate appearances at the World Series. 

All 10 of the Senators that stepped to the plate got a hit in the ballgame. 

Much like game one, the Senators trailed early as Central Florida led off the game with two solo home runs in the first inning. After a scoreless bottom of the first, Walters State tied the game up in the second as Gent walked and scored on an Ott groundout and McLain singled through the right side to score Kory Klingenbeck. 

Central Florida would take the lead back in the top of the third with a solo shot and then added two more in the fourth to make it 5-2. 

The Senators once again responded, this time with the seven runs in the fourth as they took a 9-5 lead. Central Florida would get three back in the fifth to make it 9-8, but the Senators answered again with two runs. The runs came on a Klingenbeck leadoff triple and throwing error that allowed him home and a McNeely double that scored McLain. 

"I trusted myself when I came into that fifth inning and put a good swing on the ball," Klingenbeck said. "It really got the guys rolling. I did my job and just wanted to get the crowd and guys up in the dugout." 

Mitchell began to find his groove and the offense continued to go as they added four more in the seventh. The Senators loaded the bases with no outs and made it 12-8 on a sacrifice fly by McNeely. Then, Backus came through with a two-RBI single to make it 14-8. He would come around to score one batter later as Gent singled him home. 

In the eighth, Dalton McLain reached third after singling and Cole McCallum hit a pinch hit single to center field that scored McLain and ended the game. 

"There's a whole lot of heart out there," Shelton said about his team. "I say this all the time that sometimes I think my team has more heart than they do talent. They've got quite a bit of talent, but this group has heart. They battled back and never feel like they're out of the game. Whenever they are called upon, they answer the bell." 

Rob Harvey

Walters State Community College

Sports Information Director

Cell: (423) 779-8880

Email: sportsinfo@ws.edu

Website: www.ws.edu/athletics