MORRISTOWN, TN – Jack Vogele came to the plate for No. 5 Walters State in a tie game in the bottom of the ninth on Wednesday afternoon needing a double to hit for the cycle.
Not only did Vogele get his double, but he also ended the game.
Vogele drove a pitch into the outfield, doubling and scoring the winning run to give Walters State an 8-7 victory over Cleveland Community College.
With the win, Walters State improved to 9-6 on the season.
Vogele finished the game going 5-6 and drove in three runs. He had a single in the first, a triple in the third, a homer in the fifth, a single in the eighth and a double in the ninth.
Walters State trailed 5-0 early and were down 7-3 going to the seventh inning. However, the Senators got a run in the seventh, three in the eighth and one in the ninth to complete the comeback.
Along with Vogele at the plate, Zion Taylor and Brantley Bamberg each hit solo home runs. Bamberg knocked in three runs, as well.
Aiden Robertson got the start on the mound for Walters State, going 2.2 innings and giving up six runs, only one earned, on four hits. Gage Peterson replaced Robertson with two outs in the third and pitched three innings, allowing an unearned run and striking out three.
Luke Ferguson (1-0) replaced Peterson with two outs in the sixth and pitched the remainder of the game. Ferguson didn't allow a hit and struck out five.
Cleveland Community College got things started with five runs in the second inning. Bamberg got the Senators on the board with a solo homer in the bottom of the second, but Cleveland scored again in the top of the third to make it 6-1.
That's where the score would stay until the bottom of the fifth, when Vogele hit a solo homer to make it 6-2. Cleveland got the run back in the top of the sixth, but Walters State made it 7-3 in the bottom of the sixth with a Taylor solo homer.
The Senators continued to chip into the lead in the bottom of the seventh, as Miles Smith doubled with two outs to score Jarrett Martin and make it 7-4. Walker Morgan would walk one batter later to load the bases, but Walters State could not capitalize.
In the eighth, Walters State kept charging and made it 7-5 with a Vogele single that scored Kurtis Reid. Deniel Ortiz and Martin would walk following the single to load the bases, and Bamberg tied the game with a two-RBI single.
In the ninth, Nate Conner reached on an error to start things off. Reid bunted him to second, and Vogele drove him home with a double to win the game.
Up Next:
Walters State will be back in action on Saturday at home against Highland Community College (Illinois). The doubleheader is scheduled to begin 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