GRAND JUNCTION, CO – Down four runs heading to the bottom of the sixth against 10th-seeded Harford, No. 1 Walters State needed a rally.
With two outs, the Senators got just that.
Walters State loaded the bases before an Andrew Ott walk made it a three-run game and brought up Caleb McNeely. Wasting no time, McNeely jumped on the first pitch and laced it into the left field corner, clearing the bases and tying the game. The Senators would go on to score six more from there as they took their opening game in the JUCO World Series, 12-6.
"Two outs and bases loaded, I knew I was going to put the ball in play," McNeely said. "I knew he was probably going to throw me a first pitch curveball, and he did and I didn't miss it."
With the win, the Senators move on in the winner's bracket, facing fourth-seeded Central Florida at 7:30 p.m. MT on Monday.
The win guarantees a day off on Sunday for the Senators, something that is huge early on in the World Series.
"Having a day off to recuperate is huge," Walters State coach Dave Shelton said. "Everything is so big out here in every game. So, to be able to rest and get ready for Monday is big."
The win for the Senators also showed the importance of having players who have been there before. Walters State returned a handful of players from last season's team that made it to Grand Junction and didn't seem to bat an eye when they got down because of that.
"We realized we still had four innings left," McNeely said. "We've scored 12 in an inning before. Nothing should stop us. If we have four innings left, we should be able to come back. Someone just needs to get on base and pass it to the next guy and the next guy and we'll get the job done."
For McNeely, the sixth inning was just one of many times he has come through in the clutch this season, most recently in the Appalachian District Series when he hit a home run to seal the game and punch the Senators ticket to Grand Junction.
"There's just another level of focus that comes over you in those situations," McNeely said. "It doesn't matter what he throws, it's just going to get hit hard. Sometimes it happens and sometimes it doesn't. Today, it happened."
At the plate, Noah Gent led the way with a monster game, totaling four hits and scoring four runs. Corbin Shaw and Cole McCallum each had two RBIs as well while McNeely had three RBIs.
It wasn't a normal offensive game for the nation's leader in home runs as the Senators failed to knock one over the fence with the wind blowing in. However, Walters State totaled 12 hits as a team and found ways to drive runs in. They also drew nine walks.
"I feel like we had a couple bad innings to start, but we just got one person going and it carried over," Gent said. "We're a team that rides with each other and plays off each other. I think we all come together and play very well together. We're brothers. Towards the end of the game, we started finding barrels and hitting better. We just need to attack from the beginning next time."
On the mound, the Senators were resilient. Jake Knapp got the start and threw three innings, allowing one run on three hits while striking out four. Unfortunately, Knapp took a line drive off the ankle and was forced to exit the game.
Replacing Knapp was Landon Crumbley, who threw two innings and allowed three runs on three hits while striking out two. Geo Rivera replaced Crumbley and pitched the final four innings, picking up the win while striking out five.
"That was crushing for Knapp because he was throwing really well," Shelton said. "I know he wanted to try and gut it out, but you could just tell he was grimacing trying to warm up. I went to the bullpen because I have a lot of confidence in them. This is one of the best bullpens we have brought out here. Landon Crumbley came out there and did a good job and then we gave the ball to Geo. It might not have been the best stuff from Geo, but he was still able to battle and shut them down."
Things didn't start according to plan for the Senators as Harford hit a home run the second batter of the game. It could have been worse in the first inning however; Nick Block threw out a runner from right field to keep the Fighting Owls from adding to their lead.
Knapp settled in after that as he struck out the side in the second and went 1-2-3 in the third. After a scoreless fourth from Crumbley, Walters State finally struck in the bottom half of the inning. The Senators first three batters of the inning reached and, with one out, McCallum came through with a two-RBI single to give Walters State a 2-1 advantage.
That lead would hold until the sixth when Harford would rally for five runs to take a 6-2 lead. Needing a response, the Senators got it in the bottom half of the inning. Gent led off the inning with a single before two walks to Kory Klingenbeck and McCallum loaded the bases. With two outs, Ott drew a four-pitch walk to drive in Gent and make it 6-3. Then, McNeely delivered with his bases-clearing double to tie the game at six.
With Rivera dealing on the mound, the Senators struck for more in the bottom of the seventh as Klingenbeck and Landon Slemp both walked with the bases loaded to score two runs. The final run of the inning came on a fielder's choice from Dalton McLain that scored Shaw and made it 9-6.
In the eighth, the Senators added three more insurance runs. Following a walk to Nick Block to open up the inning, Colby Backus doubled in the left-center gap to score Block and make it 10-6. Noah Gent was next up and doubled to put two-runners in scoring position. With the infield drawn in, Shaw singled up the middle to score both and make it 12-6.
In the ninth, Rivera closed the door for the victory.
"I was really proud of our guys for persevering," Shelton said. "It would've been easy to shut it down, but we bounced right back and answered. That's what you have to do if you want to win anything. I was really proud of our guys for doing that."
Rob Harvey
Walters State Community College
Sports Information Director
Cell: (423) 779-8880
Email: sportsinfo@ws.edu
Website: www.ws.edu/athletics