16th-ranked Senators win first two games of the series over No. 17 Wabash Valley

MORRISTOWN, TN – No. 16 Walters State took the first two games of the series against No. 17 Wabash Valley on Friday, winning a 4-1 pitcher's duel in game one and picking up an 11-6 victory in game two that saw the Senators collect 13 hits. 

With the wins, the Senators improved to 24-6 on the season. 

GAME ONE: No. 16 Walters State 4, No. 17 Wabash Valley 1

In game one, Preston Allen and Sam Martell struck out 15 Wabash batters and allowed just three hits. 

Allen (4-0) got the start and remained undefeated. Allen threw 4.2 innings, allowing three hits and one run while striking out nine. Allen now has 57 strikeouts on the season in 31.2 innings of work.

Martell replaced Allen with two outs in the fifth and picked up his second save of the season. Martell didn't allow a hit in 2.1 innings of work and struck out six. Martell lowered his ERA to 2.25 and has 30 strikeouts in 16 innings of work. 

At the plate, Miles Shore led the way with two RBIs, while Jackson Berry homered and Holden Pantier picked up two hits. 

Wabash struck first in the game with a run in the second inning and threatened for more with the bases loaded and one out. However, Allen got back-to-back strikeouts to get out of the inning and limit the damage to the one run. 

The Senators tied the game in the third, as Berry smacked a solo home run, and took the lead in the fourth when Justin Bell singled home Pantier to make it 2-1. In the fifth, the Senators loaded the bases with two outs, and Shore created some separation with a two-RBI double that made it 4-1. Martell was money from there, and the Senators picked up the win. 

GAME TWO: No. 16 Walters State 11, No. 17 Wabash Valley 6

In game two, the Senators got the bats going with 13 hits as they completed the sweep. 

Kole Fenton had three hits and three RBIs in the game, while Jaxon Walker added two hits and four RBIs. Shore, Pantier and Kenny Cox collected two hits apiece. 

On the mound, Major Osbolt (4-1) got the start and picked up the win. Osbolt threw five innings, allowing five runs on seven hits and struck out six. Tim Tyler replaced Osbolt in the sixth and threw the final two innings, allowing one run on two hits and striking out four. 

The two teams threw up zeroes in the first two innings, but Walters State broke the tie with three runs in the third. Cox led off with a single, moved to second on an error that allowed Davis Peralta to reach and scored on a Walker RBI double. Fenton was next up, and he singled in two runs to make it 3-0.

In the fourth, the Senators tacked on three more runs. Berry and Cox hit back-to-back singles, and Peralta made it three straight singles, scoring Berry in the process. Following a double steal that allowed Cox to score to make it 5-0, Fenton singled in Luke Graham to make it 6-0.

Wabash got back into the game with five runs in the fifth, but the Senators responded with four runs in the bottom of the inning. Drew Blalock led off the inning with a double, and Hayden Blair and Berry walked to load the bases. With two outs, Graham walked to bring home Blalock, and Walker followed with a bases-clearing double to make it 10-5. 

The Senators final run came in the sixth, when Pantier doubled and scored on a Shore single. Wabash picked up a run in the top of the seventh that made it 11-6, but that was all. 

Up Next:

Walters State and Wabash Valley play one final game on Saturday. First pitch is set for 11 am ET.