MORRISTOWN, TN – Ashlyn Gaines led off the seventh inning of game one on Saturday afternoon against Snead State with a bang.

Tied at three, Gaines took the second pitch of the at-bat and sent it well over the fence to give the Lady Senators a game-winning home run in their season opener, 4-3. Building off that momentum, Walters State won game two of the doubleheader, 9-8.

With the sweep, Walters State improves to 2-0 on the season. 

"I knew they were going to be tough," Walters State coach Larry Sauceman said. "I am just happy we won two. Hopefully, we will learn as we go and continue to grow."

Game One: Walters State 4, Snead State 3

It was a slow start for the Lady Senators in their season opener as they went down 2-0 after the first inning.

However, the Lady Senators got the bats going late for the win.

Walters State was led in the game by Gaines with her walk off home run. Gaines had two hits in the contest. 

In game two, Gaines had another home run and two RBIs. 

"She's a freshman, and that was big for her," Sauceman said. "She needed that. Then, she hit another one. I was happy to see that." 

Along with Gaines, Tatum Dye and Brianna Beech each hit home runs. Kaitlyn Harper had two hits as well and a stolen base. 

In the circle, Adrienne Morrison got the start and threw six innings, allowing three runs, two earned, on five hits. She struck out four.

"I thought Morrison did a good job in the first game, just gave up those two home runs really," Sauceman said. "She handled things well." 

Morrison was replaced in the seventh by Ashley Milligan who threw a scoreless inning while striking out one. 

It was Snead State who struck first in the contest as they hit back-to-back home runs in the first inning. Walters State would get on the board in the fourth when Beech hit a solo homer to cut the deficit to 2-1. 

Snead State got that run back in the fifth, but the Lady Senators tied the contest at 3 when Dye belted a 2-run homer over the fence.

Gaines was the hero in the seventh with the walk off. 

Game Two: Walters State 9, Snead State 8

In game two, the offense got rolling early and often for the Lady Senators as they withstood a late rally by Snead State for the sweep.

Jessica Odom, Halle Laramie and Dye each had two hits in the contest to lead the way. Odom had three RBIs while Laramie and Gaines each had two.

Home runs in the game came from Odom, Kasey Bennett, Gaines and Dye. 

In the circle, Milligan got the start and picked up her second win of the day as she threw a complete game. She gave up eight runs on seven hits and struck out four.

"Milligan came into the first game and got some big outs and then pitched that whole second game," Sauceman said. "That's the first time she's pitched in a long time. She'll continue to get better as she goes." 

For the second straight game, Snead State put up a two spot in the top of the first to get things started. 

However, this time the Lady Senators were there to answer. After Jessica Campbell led off with a double, Odom tied the game up with a two-run blast. The Lady Senators would then take the lead when Dye hit her second home run of the day.

The Lady Senators added one more to their lead in the third when Bennett hit her first home run of the season, a solo shot. Walters State added three more in the fourth when Odom doubled in Maggie Johnson and Laramie singled in two. 

The scoring concluded in the fifth for Walters State as Gaines belted a two-run home run to make it 9-4. 

Up Next:

Walters State will be back in action on Wednesday as they take on Southwest Virginia. It will be a doubleheader with first pitch at 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