CLEVELAND, TN – No. 10 Walters State dropped a 15-14 offensive battle against Cleveland State on Saturday, before bouncing back with an 11-1 win.
With the split, the Senators moved to 40-12 on the season and 19-5 in TCCAA play.
GAME ONE: Cleveland State 15, No. 10 Walters State 14
In game one, Walters State overcame multiple deficits but gave up three runs in the bottom of the sixth to drop a one-run game.
At the plate, Kurtis Reid led the way with a home run and three RBI. Deniel Ortiz, Logen Sutton, Keaton Ray and Jarrett Martin each drove in two runs while Zion Taylor had three hits.
On the mound, Taz Butler got the start and threw 1.2 innings. Butler gave up six runs, three earned, on three hits and struck out two. Aiden Robertson replaced Butler in the second and pitched the next 1.2 innings, allowing five runs on five hits while striking out three.
Drew Horn (1-2) was next in line for the Senators on the mound and gave up four runs in 2.1 innings of work, before Luke Ferguson got the final out.
The Senators started the scoring in the game with a Ray RBI double in the top of the second. However, Cleveland State scored six in the bottom half of the inning to take a 6-1 lead.
In the third, Walters State cut into the lead as Ortiz and Martin had RBI singles and an error scored a run to make it 6-4. Cleveland State picked up a run in the bottom of the inning on a solo home run, but Walters State grabbed an 8-7 lead in the fourth. The Senators scored two runs on bases-loaded walks and two more on a single by Martin.
The Cougars took the lead back in the bottom of the fourth with four runs, but Ortiz cut it to 11-9 with a solo shot. Cleveland State got that run back in the bottom of the fifth, but Walters State scored five in the sixth to go up 14-12. Taylor led off the scoring with a solo homer, before Walker Morgan grounded out to score a run and Reid crushed a three-run homer.
Unfortunately for Walters State, Cleveland State scored three in the sixth and went on for the one-run win.
GAME TWO: No. 10 Walters State 11, Cleveland State 1
In game two, the Senators got a great pitching effort from Manning West and grabbed a win in the final game.
West (7-0) pitched five innings, allowing one hit and struck out eight. Ethan Walker replaced West in the sixth and threw the final two innings. He gave up one run on two hits and struck out four.
At the plate, Ray homered and drove in two. Nate Conner and Sutton also had two hits and drove in two runs.
A wild pitch and passed ball gave Walters State a 2-0 lead in the second inning to start game two. It was 3-0 in the third on another wild pitch, and Ray made it 5-0 later in the inning with a two-run home run.
After Jack Vogele singled home a run in the fourth, Ortiz had an RBI single and Sutton a two-RBI double in the sixth to make it 9-0. The final two runs for the Senators came in the seventh on a two-RBI single by Conner. Cleveland State got a run in the bottom of the seventh, but that was it.
Up Next:
Walters State will be back in action on the road against Young Harris JV on Monday. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m.
Rob Harvey
Walters State Community College
Sports Information Director
Cell: (423) 779-8880
Email: sportsinfo@ws.edu
Website: www.ws.edu/athletics