MARIANNA, FL – No. 2 Walters State finished their Florida road trip with a split on Monday afternoon, winning 2-1 over No. 10 Chipola before falling 8-7 to Wallace-Dothan.
With the split, Walters State moved to 9-2 on the season.
GAME ONE: No. 2 Walters State 2, No. 10 Chipola 1
Jackson Hull was automatic on the mound for the Senators in game one, allowing one run on one hit in six innings to lead Walters State to the win.
Hull (3-0) walked the first batter he faced and hit the next but settled down to allow just one run in the first. From there, Hull allowed one hit, a double in the sixth, but none more as he struck out six.
Riley Franklin replaced Hull in the seventh inning and picked up his first save of the season with a scoreless inning.
Offensively, the Senators had just four hits with Will Cawthon accounting for half of them. The biggest hit of the game came in the top of the fourth as Deniel Ortiz hit his second home run in as many days, a two-run shot that was the difference in the game.
Caleb Marmo recorded the only other hit for Walters State while Ortiz and Corbin Shaw both walked.
GAME TWO: Wallace-Dothan 8, No. 2 Walters State 7
In game two, the Senators fell behind 6-0 and were unable to complete a comeback against Wallace-Dothan.
At the plate, Cole McCallum led the way with two hits, one being a home run, and three RBIs. Marmo and Kurtis Reid also had two hits, both hitting solo home runs in the fourth inning.
Preston Allen got the start on the mound for Walters State, giving up four runs on two hits while walking two. Cooper Morgan replaced him in the first and threw three innings, allowing three runs on four hits while striking out six.
Karson Bonaparte replaced Morgan in the fourth and threw the rest of the game for the Senators, allowing one run on two hits and striking out four in three innings.
It was all Wallace-Dothan to start as they scored four in the first, one in the second and one in the third to take a 6-0 lead.
The Senators tried to mount a comeback in the top of the fourth as Marmo homered and Reid went back-to-back with a solo shot that made it 6-2. One more run came across for Walters State in the inning when Kruise Newman reached on an error and scored on a McCallum double.
Wallace-Dothan answered with two runs in the bottom of the fourth to make it 8-3, but Walters State responded in the top of the fifth as Kio Lugo reached on an error and then scored on an error following a Marmo single.
Walters State continued to cut into the lead in the sixth as Shaw walked, advanced to second on a wild pitch, to third on a balk and then scored on an Ortiz single that made it 8-5. One batter later, it was a one-run game as McCallum hit a two-run homer.
However, that was as close as Walters State would get as they went 1-2-3 in the top of the seventh to fall, 8-7.
Up Next:
Walters State will be back in action on Saturday and Sunday for their home openers. On Saturday, the Senators will host Muskegon Community College at 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. On Sunday, Walters State hosts Patrick & Henry College at 1 p.m. and 4 p.m.
Rob Harvey
Walters State Community College
Sports Information Director
Cell: (423) 779-8880
Email: sportsinfo@ws.edu
Website: www.ws.edu/athletics