MORRISTOWN, TN – It was a tale of two games for the fifth-ranked Walters State baseball team on Sunday afternoon in their home opener against Lake Land College, with both games resulting in wins for the Senators.
In game one, the bats came out red hot as Walters State racked up 11 runs and ended the game in five innings with an 11-1 victory.
Game two was the complete opposite though, as Kohl Drake and Geo Rivera dominated on the mound. Walters State scored twice in the second inning and that was enough for a 2-0 win.
With the sweep, Walters State improves to 5-0 on the season.
The doubleheader marked the first two regular season games on the brand-new infield turf the Senators received this offseason, something the players were greatly looking forward to.
"It's really nice," Walters State shortstop Caleb McNeely said about the turf. "I was actually really excited to get out here and play on the turf. I was more excited to play here then I was last weekend at USC Salkehatchie."
Game One: Walters State 11, Lake Land 1 (5 innings)
While seven batters recorded hits in game one, it was the top half of the lineup that did the most damage for the Senators.
Leading off, McNeely recorded two hits, one being his third home run of the season, and drove in two runs. McNeely now has three home runs and nine RBI through five games this season.
McNeely started off the scoring in the game for Walters State, trailing 1-0 in the third. After Dalton McLain led off the inning with a single, McNeely sent a ball way over the fence to make it 2-1 in favor of the Senators.
McNeely would then add a single in the fourth and was intentionally walked to load the bases in the fifth inning.
"I'm seeing a lot of fastballs early on which is surprising, but I will definitely take it," Mcneely said. "I'm just trying to stay within myself and not get too big. I'm focusing on perfect contact and just knowing the situation."
McNeely is one of the oldest players on the Walters State baseball team this season and was the leadoff hitter from last year's World Series team. With that comes responsibility as he will be looked upon to guide the newer players so that they can make another run this season.
"I'm just trying to do my best to keep everyone's head in the game and make sure our approaches at the plate and in the field are what they need to be because it changes every at bat and every pitch," McNeely said.
McNeely was followed in the lineup by Andrew Ott in the two hole. In game one, Ott recorded two hits and knocked in a game-high three runs, including the game sealing run in the fifth when he singled home two after McNeely was intentionally walked.
And not to be outdone was Noah Gent in the three hole as he recorded two hits as well and knocked in a run in the fourth inning.
Other RBIs in the game came from Corbin Shaw with a double in the third, Nick Block with an RBI double on the next at bat to score Shaw, Colby Backus with a two-run moonshot, his second home run of the year, following Block's double and Kory Klingenbeck with an RBI groundout in the fifth.
Wesley Scott was the starting pitcher for Walters State in game one and worked around trouble to throw three innings and strike out seven. He is now 1-0 on the season as he gave up one run on two hits.
Following Scott, the bullpen was lights out for the final two innings as Joey Mitchell and Ty Cobb each threw scoreless innings.
Game Two: Walters State 2, Lake Land College 0
Coming off a combined no-hitter with Scott last Saturday, Drake got the start in game two and almost repeated his performance.
Drake was on cruise control from the start against Lake Land during his four inning start, allowing no runs on three hits and striking out six.
Drake is now 2-0 on the season and has 14 strikeouts through seven innings of work.
"It feels good," Drake said. "I've been working hard with all of my pitches through the fall, and the team is shaping up really nice. It's looking like it is going upward from here.My ability to throw strikes has definitely been my biggest improvement this year, especially with three pitches."
Not wanting to feel left out, Rivera replaced Drake in the fifth and was equally as good. Rivera finished the game off with three innings of work, striking out four and picking up his first save of the season.
As a whole, the pitching staff has been on point to start the season for Walters State, allowing just four runs in five games so far. That has taken less pressure off the batting order, something they have enjoyed so far.
"I like this a lot," McNeely said. "I don't know if I have been on a team with this good of a pitching staff before. This is really enjoyable. The grounders are easy to handle, and they get a lot of strikeouts. It allows me to think about hitting all day."
The runs didn't come as easy for the Senators in game two, but they did manage to scrape together two in the second. Caleb Marmo started it off with a single and would come around to score as McNeely tripled him home. McNeely raced home on the next at bat as Ott laid down a perfect bunt, beating it out at first in the process.
Walters State had eight hits in the game as McNeely and Ott each recorded two and Gent, Shaw, Backus and Marmo each had one.
Up Next:
Walters State will be back in action on Monday as they complete their series against Lake Land College. The two teams will play one nine inning game at 12 p.m.
Rob Harvey
Walters State Community College
Sports Information Director
Cell: (423) 779-8880
Email: sportsinfo@ws.edu
Website: www.ws.edu/athletics