MORRISTOWN, TN – It had been a rough day at the plate for No. 16 Walters State on Friday afternoon, but one swing of the bat from Deniel Ortiz did just enough. 

Taking on Volunteer State, the Senators trailed by a run in the bottom of the seventh with the bases loaded. Ortiz was the next batter up for Walters State, and he gave them the lead for good with a grand slam. The Senators would go on for a 4-1 win over the Pioneers.

With the win, Walters State improved to 30-9 overall and 13-3 in TCCAA play. 

"It felt great to have my teammates back," Ortiz said. "We had to get Karson (Bonaparte) the win. He pitched a great game. I just went up there and did what I had to do to get my man a win." 

The win was very well deserving for Karson Bonaparte, who improved to 8-1 on the season with a phenomenal outing on the mound. Bonaparte threw seven innings, allowing an unearned run on four hits. He struck out seven.

"I felt like my stuff was working the way that I feel allows me to succeed the best," Bonaparte said. "I thought my movement was good, was throwing my off-speed for a strike and was handling my fastball ok. A little bit of a rough start, but I was able to settle in and execute my three pitches for a strike." 

It was a pitcher's duel in every sense of the word on Friday, as Bonaparte and Vol State's starter Caleb Pica matched zeroes on the scoreboard. While Bonaparte always loves some run support, he enjoys a good battle with an opposing pitcher. 

"As a competitor, in your head it's always a 0-0 ballgame," Bonaparte said. "You never want to get too complacent on the mound. For me, I always try and compete with myself. If I can compete with myself and execute, I'll always put myself in a spot to succeed. It's always nice to have some comfort on the scoreboard, but you should never get to the point of relaxing. You just have to go out there and compete pitch-by-pitch."

Ortiz led the way at the plate for Walters State with two hits, including the grand slam. Along with Ortiz, Kurtis Reid had a hit and stole a base. 

Vol State started things early with a run in the first. Walters State had their chances over the next few innings but could not capitalize, leaving two runners on in the first, two in the second, one in the third and two in the sixth.

However, Bonaparte was nearly untouchable and kept the score at 1-0. Bonaparte had help, as well. In the sixth, Vol State threatened with runners on first and second and one out. The Pioneers' Connor Paul was next up and appeared to have a base hit in between first and second. However, Logen Sutton stretched out and grabbed the ball, firing it to first for the second out. Bonaparte struck out the next batter to get out of the jam.

"I think it was huge," Bonaparte said. "Plays like that are what gets the momentum back. Plays like that are not only big for the pitcher but for the entire team. When he made that play, it gave the guys some more juice in the tank." 

In the seventh, Reid led things off with a single. Following a Nate Conner walk, Miles Smith singled to load the bases for Ortiz. Ortiz took the first pitch for a ball and then went opposite field, knocking the ball over the fence to give the Senators a 4-1 lead.

Following the grand slam, Bonaparte's day was done on the mound. Luke Ferguson replaced him and notched his first save of the season, throwing two scoreless innings. He struck out two. 

Up Next:

Walters State and Volunteer State will play two more games on Saturday. First pitch is set for 12 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