MARIANNA, FL – No. 5 Walters State got a busy weekend off to a great start on Friday afternoon, taking down Chipola with a 10-0 victory and Gulf Coast State with an 8-3 win.
With the wins, the Senators improved to 5-3 on the season.
GAME ONE: No. 5 Walters State 10, Chipola 0
In the first game of the day, Walters State got a strong pitching performance out of Karson Bonaparte and some big hitting by Jack Vogele and Zion Taylor.
Bonaparte (2-0) got the start on the mound and threw five innings, allowing one hit and striking out seven. Bonaparte has yet to allow a run in his three starts in 2024.
Bonaparte was replaced by Jonny Stevens in the sixth, and Stevens threw the last two innings. Stevens did not allow a hit.
At the plate, Vogele led the way with a perfect 4-4 game. Vogele drove in three runs, as well.
Along with Vogele, Taylor hit a three-run homer. Andrew Grande doubled twice and drove in a run, while Keaton Ray had a double and two RBI.
After a scoreless first, Walters State got on the board in the second as Jarrett Martin singled, moved to second on a Vogele single and scored on a Taylor Harris single.
In the fourth, Walters State increased their lead as Vogele singled home Martin to make it 2-0. The Senators added four more runs in the sixth, when Vogele singled home a run and Taylor walloped a three-run homer.
The Senators closed the game out in the seventh with four more runs, as Ray doubled home two runs, Grande doubled in Ray and Vogele singled home Grande.
GAME TWO: No. 5 Walters State 8, Gulf Coast State 3
In game two of the day, the Senators fell behind twice but took the lead for good with five runs in the fifth.
On the mound, Taz Butler got the start and threw two innings, allowing two unearned runs on one hit and striking out two. Tyler Welch replaced Butler in the third and threw two innings, allowing one unearned run on one hit.
Walker Morgan (2-0) was next in line, throwing 2.1 innings and allowing just one hit while striking out three. Morgan picked up the win.
Miles Smith got the final two outs of the game, striking out one.
At the plate, Taylor hit his second three-run home run of the day. Harris had two hits, while Vogele doubled and drove in a run.
Gulf Coast got things started in the third inning with two runs, but Walters State immediately tied it up in the bottom half of the inning with two runs. Those runs came on a wild pitch that scored Taylor and a hit-by-pitch with the bases loaded that brought Kurtis Reid home.
Gulf Coast regained the lead in the top of the fourth with a run, but the Senators once again tied it in the bottom half of the inning as Deniel Ortiz hit a sacrifice fly to score Harris.
The Senators broke the game open in the fifth with five runs to make it 8-3. Vogele got the scoring started with an RBI double, before Harris singled home a run. The big hit came next, as Taylor hit a three-run homer.
Up Next:
Walters State has two more games on Saturday at Chipola College. The Senators will play Southern Union State at 11 a.m. ET and Chipola at 1:30 p.m. ET.
Rob Harvey
Walters State Community College
Sports Information Director
Cell: (423) 779-8880
Email: sportsinfo@ws.edu
Website: www.ws.edu/athletics