MORRISTOWN, TN – No. 2 Walters State entered the weekend tied for first place in the conference with Southwest Tennessee.

Three games later, the Senators now exit the weekend three games up on the Saluqis. 

On Saturday, Walters State kept the bats going as they took game one by a score of 20-10, before finishing things off with a 9-5 win in game two. 

With the wins, the Senators improved to 31-4 overall and 10-2 in TCCAA play. 

"I think this has just shown that we're coming together," Walters State pitcher Karson Bonaparte said. "The bats got fired up this weekend. Every time they scored, we responded. That's what kept us in the ballgame, just winning every inning." 

GAME ONE: No. 2 Walters State 20, Southwest Tennessee 10 (5 Innings)

In game one, the Senators fell behind early but bounced back with seven runs in the bottom of the first, beating Southwest by the identical score of Friday's win. 

At the plate, Jarrett Martin continued his hot stretch with two hits, including a home run, and three RBIs. Kurtis Reid hit the Senators other homer in the game, a grand slam in the first inning. Other contributors at the plate were Caleb Marmo and Deniel Ortiz with two hits each while Corbin Shaw drove in three runs.

On the mound, Jackson Hull got the start and threw 2.2 innings. Hull allowed seven runs on six hits while striking out two. Bradley Gagen (1-0) replaced Hull in the third and picked up the win. Gagen threw 2.1 innings, allowing three runs on two hits while striking out two. 

For the second straight game, Southwest got on the board first with a two-run homer. However, Walters State wasted no time responding in the bottom half of the inning. Ortiz started things off with an RBI single to cut the lead to one. Back-to-back walks to Martin and Kruise Newman with the bases loaded gave the Senators a 3-2 lead before Reid gave them some breathing room with his grand slam. 

But Southwest would fight back as they tied the game at seven in the third. Once again though, the Senators answered in the bottom half of the inning. Martin opened things up with a solo homer before Shaw cleared the bases with a double that made it 11-7. An Ortiz RBI double, Keaton Ray RBI single and Martin RBI double made it 14-7.

Southwest would score one more time in the game, on a three-run homer in the fourth. However, a run in the fourth on a passed ball and a Reid RBI single, Marmo RBI double and Cole McCallum two-RBI double in the fifth ended the game in five innings. 

GAME TWO: No. 2 Walters State 9, Southwest Tennessee 5

In game two, the offense slowed down a little as the Senators got a great effort out of the bullpen from Karson Bonaparte to secure the sweep. 

Bryaden Matthews got the start on the mound and threw 3.2 innings, allowing five runs, four earned, on eight hits. 

With two outs in the fourth, Bonaparte (4-0) replaced Matthews and locked things down. Bonaparte threw the remaining 3.1 innings, allowing just one hit while striking out three. 

"I was just trying to go in and throw some zeroes and miss barrels," Bonaparte said. "I watched them all weekend and they weren't guys that swung and missed at a lot of things in the zone. I just tried to miss barrels and get some soft contact. That's what my mindset was, and I think the execution on my part did well." 

At the plate, Cooper Torres was the star with two home runs and four RBIs. Both homers came at a good time for Walters State as his two-run in the first tied the game and his two-run in the fourth all but sealed the deal.

"Those were two sliders," Torres said. "I was just tracking the ball as much as I could. This whole weekend, I wasn't really letting the ball get deep. So, this last game I tried to make that adjustment and let it get deep and just see the ball." 

Along with Torres at the plate, Marmo had two hits while Ortiz, Marmo and Shaw each knocked in runs. 

For the third straight game, Southwest got on the board first with two runs. And again, the Senators responded in the bottom half as Torres hit a two-run bomb to tie the game. 

In the third, the Saluqis grabbed two more runs to take a 4-2 lead. But in the bottom of the third, the Senators got a run on a fielder's choice by Shaw, a double steal that allowed Torres to cross the plate and then an Ortiz RBI single that gave Walters State a 5-4 lead. 

Southwest scored once more in the fourth to tie the game at five, but Walters State scored again on a double steal, Marmo singled home a run and Torres hit his second home run of the game that made it 9-5 in the bottom of the fourth.

From there, Bonaparte was money as he shut Southwest down. 

Up Next:

Walters State will be back in action next Friday as they travel to take on Volunteer State. Friday's nine-inning game is set to begin at 3 p.m. ET. 

For the Senators, they will look to remain locked in and ready to get after another week of practice. 

"I think what helped this weekend was our preparation this week," Bonaparte said. "It was a long week of practice, and we came every day ready to go. It wasn't like we were slacking. It started on Monday, and it showed this weekend. It showed what Walters State is supposed to be. And we just need to keep doing that." 

Rob Harvey

Walters State Community College

Sports Information Director

Cell: (423) 779-8880

Email: sportsinfo@ws.edu

Website: www.ws.edu/athletics