COLUMBIA, TN – They say you always want to play your best come postseason time, and that is exactly what No. 20 Walters State is doing.
On Saturday, the Lady Senators capped off the regular season in style, sweeping Columbia State 8-0 and 15-8.
With the sweep, the Lady Senators finished the regular season at 39-9 overall and 27-5 in TCCAA play. They ended the regular season on a 17-game winning streak and swept seven of nine conference series'.
GAME ONE: No. 20 Walters State 8, Columbia State 0 (6 Innings)
As has been the case every time she has gone to the circle in the past few weeks, it was the Ashley Milligan show in game one on Saturday.
Milligan threw a complete game shutout, allowing five hits while striking out five. Milligan improved to 17-0 on the season with the win.
At the plate, Ava Brooks built off her game two on Friday with two RBIs to lead the way. Jessica Campbell had two hits while Kaitlyn Harper and Kasey Bennett each knocked in runs.
Following a scoreless first inning, the Lady Senators got after it in the top of the second with six runs. Walters State loaded the bases in the inning before a Harper walk gave them a 1-0 lead. Following an error that scored another run and a passed ball that scored Maggie Johnson, Bennett singled home Harper and Brooks doubled in Campbell and Sarah King to make it 6-0.
From there, the two teams went scoreless until the top of the sixth when a passed ball and wild pitch in the same at bat scored Campbell and King to make it 8-0.
Milligan set Columbia down 1-2-3 in the bottom of the sixth to end the game.
GAME TWO: No. 20 Walters State 15, Columbia State 8
In game two, the Lady Senators used a four-run sixth and four-run seventh to finish the regular season on a high note.
In the circle, Abigayle Holt got the start and allowed five unearned runs on four hits while striking out one in 2.2 innings. Allison Chandler replaced Holt with two outs in the third and pitched 2.1 innings, allowing no runs on three hits before making way for Adrienne Morrison who gave up three runs in an inning of work.
Milligan pitched the final inning to secure the win.
Halle Laramie led the way at the plate with two home runs, her eighth and ninth of the season, and drove in five runs. Sam Chavez hit her first home run of the season as well while Campbell had three hits and three RBIs.
For the fourth straight game, the Lady Senators struck first with a run in the first as Brooks singled in Campbell to make it 1-0.
Walters State added four more in the second to increase their lead to 5-0. Ashlyn Gaines started the scoring off with an RBI single, and Campbell followed her up with an RBI single. King then grounded out, scoring a run to make it 4-0, before Brooks singled in the final run.
However, Columbia State fought back in the third, scoring five runs to tie the game. The two teams remained tied at five until the top of the fifth when the Lady Senators broke through with two runs as Laramie blasted a two-run homer over the fence in left.
Four more runs came across for Walters State in the sixth as they added to their lead. The Lady Senators scored them all in three straight at-bats as an error scored one, Gaines was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to score one and Campbell singled home two to make it 11-5.
Columbia would make one last charge in the sixth with a three-run homer that cut the lead to 11-8, but the Lady Senators put the game away with four more runs in the seventh. Laramie drove three of the runs in with a home run while Chavez followed her up with a home run, going back-to-back.
Up Next:
Walters State will be back in action on Sunday, May 8, as they begin their postseason push. The Lady Senators will be the No. 3 seed in the TCCAA/Region VII Tournament, held at Chattanooga State.
Rob Harvey
Walters State Community College
Sports Information Director
Cell: (423) 779-8880
Email: sportsinfo@ws.edu
Website: www.ws.edu/athletics