WSBB: Senators sweep USC Salkehatchie to complete opening series

ALLENDALE, SC – No. 2 Walters State completed a season-opening sweep on Saturday afternoon taking two games from USC Salkehatchie, 16-0 and 18-4.

With the wins, Walters State improved to 3-0 on the season.

GAME ONE: No. 2 Walters State 16, USC Salkehatchie 0

In game one, three pitchers combined to throw a complete game shutout as the Senators cruised to the win. 

Cooper Morgan (1-0) got the start on the mound and picked up his first win with three scoreless innings. Morgan allowed one hit and struck out two.

Replacing Morgan in the fourth was Riley Franklin as he threw two scoreless and struck out three. Bradley Gagen pitched the final two innings and did not allow a hit, striking out four in the process. 

At the plate, Kruise Newman and Angus Pence each homered and had two hits. Newman, Pence, Kio Lugo, Keaton Ray and Corbin Shaw all drove in two runs while Pence, Ray, Shaw, Newman and Caleb Marmo each had two hits. 

The scoring came quick for the Senators as they scored two in the top of the first. Those runs came courtesy of a Ray RBI single and Shaw sacrifice fly.

In the second, five more runs came across as the Senators went up 7-0. The runs started as a wild pitch scored Will Cawthon. After a Deniel Ortiz RBI single, Ray grounded out but scored Marmo. Shaw then singled home another run before Newman hammered his first home run of the season.

Newman got things going again for Walters State in the fourth with an RBI single. The Senators scored five more times after that in the inning to increase the lead to 13-0 as Shaw scored on a wild pitch, Cole McCallum singled in Newman, Kurtis Reed tripled in McCallum, Lugo walked with the bases loaded and Preston Wright scored a run on a sacrifice fly.

After a Lugo sacrifice fly added one more run in the sixth, Pence capped things off in the seventh with a two-run homer. 

GAME TWO: No.2 Walters State 18, USC Salkehatchie 4

Newman and Ray one-upped their game one performances in game two on Saturday as both homered and knocked in four runs. 

Newman went 2-3 in the game while Ray was 2-2 and walked once. Along with those two, Zion Taylor drove in three runs while Pence drove home two more runs. Taylor, Pence, Ray, Newman, Ortiz and Lugo all doubled. 

On the mound, Jackson Hull (1-0) got the start and picked up the win. Hull pitched two hitless innings while striking out two. 

Brayden Matthews replaced Hull in the third and threw two innings, allowing one unearned run on one hit while striking out three. After Brenden Pomerleau threw 0.2 innings, giving up three runs but just one earned, Blake Cooper got the final out and then threw a scoreless sixth inning. Ty Cobb struck out the side to close things out in the seventh. 

It was Newman opening things up for the Senators in the game as he slugged a three-run homer just three batters in. Reed made it 4-0 with an RBI single and it was 6-0 after Pence doubled home Reed and McCallum.

In the second, Ray hit his second home run of the season, a two-run shot that made it 8-0. The third inning saw four more runs scored as Newman doubled home Pence, Ray doubled home Newman and Ortiz and McCallum hit a sacrifice fly.

USC Salkehatchie scored in the bottom of the third, but Walters State answered with five in the fourth. Three of those came courtesy of a Taylor double with the bases loaded while Cawthon singled in Taylor and Miles Smith hit a sacrifice fly.

After Salkehatchie scored three in the fifth, Walters State closed things out in the sixth with a run as Pedro Pache walked with the bases loaded. 

Up Next:

Walters State will be back in action next Saturday as they travel to take on USC Union. It will be a doubleheader with first pitch slated 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