Pantier homers twice, collects five RBIs in split with USC Sumter

SPARTANBURG, SC – Holden Pantier continued his impressive season on Tuesday, as Walters State split a doubleheader with USC Sumter. The Fire Ants picked up an 18-10 win in game one, while the Senators bounced back with a 5-2 victory in game two. 

With the split, Walters State moved to 37-10 on the season. 

In the doubleheader, Pantier homered twice and picked up five more RBIs. For the season, Pantier is now batting .486 with 18 home runs and 88 RBIs. He's scored 69 runs, stolen 13 bases and has a .547 OBP. 

GAME ONE: USC Sumter 18, No. 16 Walters State 10

In game one, Miles Shore had three hits and reached base four times for Walters State.

Shore had a home run, two doubles and scored four runs to lead the way. Pantier and Drew Blalock homered, as well, and Jackson Berry had two hits and three RBIs. 

On the mound, Ryan Smith got the start and faced one batter. Colton Richards replaced Smith and threw 1.1 innings, allowing four runs on three hits, and David Hamilton replaced him and faced a batter. Ryan Perkins (0-1) was next on the mound for Walters State, and he threw an inning. Perkins allowed three runs on three hits. Bridger Hamilton replaced Perkins in the third and threw an inning, allowing six runs on three hits, and Sam Martell allowed three runs in an inning of work. Mason Grindstaff threw the final 1.2 innings, allowing one run on two hits while striking out two.

The Senators scored a run in the first on a Blalock solo home run, and increased their lead in the second with five runs. Shore led off with a double, and he scored on a fielder's choice from Berry. Brady Dalton then singled, and Kole Fenton followed two batters later with an RBI single that made it 3-0. Pantier was next up, and he smoked his 17th home run of the season, a three-run shot, that gave Walters State a 6-0 advantage. 

However, the Fire Ants fought back and scored five in the bottom of the second. In the third, Shore and Berry were at it again, as Shore led off the inning with a walk and scored on Berry double. Walters State scored one more run in the inning on an error that scored Berry, but USC Sumter took a 10-8 lead with five runs in the bottom of the inning. 

In the fourth, Walters State cut the lead to 10-9 as Berry singled home Shore, who doubled earlier in the inning. Unfortunately for the Senators, USC Sumter scored seven runs in the bottom of the fourth to make it 17-9. Walters State got one more run in the game, on a solo home run from Shore in the sixth, but USC Sumter scored one more run in the bottom of the sixth to take an 18-10 win. 

GAME TWO: No. 16 Walters State 5, USC Sumter 2

Different from game one, game two was a pitchers' duel that the Senators won out on. 

Brady Scott (4-0) got the start on the mound for the Senators, and he threw two innings. Scott allowed one run on two hits and struck out one. Smith replaced Scott in the third and struck out two in a scoreless inning, and Justin Bell entered in the fourth and threw the next two innings. Bell gave up just one hit and struck out one. Lane Sharp pitched the final two innings and collected his fourth save of the season. Sharp allowed one run on three hits and struck out one. 

At the plate, Pantier homered again and drove in two runs, while Blair hit his 20th home run of the season and had two RBIs. Blair is hitting .391 with 20 home runs and 59 RBIs through 44 games. 

The Senators got on the board in the top of the first when Fenton doubled and scored on a two-run home run by Blair. The Fire Ants got a run back in the bottom of the second, but Pantier answered right back in the top of the third with a solo home run that made it 3-1.

That was the score until the seventh, as both teams' pitchers settled in and allowed just five hits from innings four through six. In the seventh, Jaxon Walker reached base on a hit by pitch and scored when Fenton doubled him home. Pantier was next up, and he singled to score Fenton to make it 5-2. USC Sumter picked up a run in the bottom of the inning, but that was all as Sharp locked down the save. 

Up Next:

Walters State is back in action this weekend for its final home conference series of the season. The Senators will take on Volunteer State, and Friday's game is scheduled to begin at 2 pm ET.