Blalock’s three home runs lift No. 16 Walters State to two wins over Cleveland State

CLEVELAND, TN – No. 16 Walters State headed into its final conference series of the regular season needing a sweep of Cleveland State to win the TCCAA Regular Season Title outright and claim the No. 1 seed in the TCCAA/Region 7 Tournament.

On Thursday, the Senators got themselves to within one game of the title. 

Taking on the Cougars, Walters State's Drew Blalock hit three home runs during the doubleheader, including a solo shot in the top of the seventh of game two that broke a tie and gave Walters State a 7-6 win. The Senators won game one of the day, 7-5. 

With the doubleheader sweep, the Senators improved to 44-10 on the season and 23-6 in TCCAA play. Walters State also clinched at least a share of the TCCAA Regular Season Title. 

GAME ONE: No. 16 Walters State 7, Cleveland State 5

In game one, Blalock smacked two home runs, and Tim Tyler closed things down on the mound. 

Along with his home runs, Blalock drove in three runs. Kole Fenton also homered in the game and drove in two runs, while Miles Shore had two hits. 

On the mound, Preston Allen (7-0) got the start and remained undefeated. Allen threw 3.1 innings, allowing five runs on five hits while striking out three. Tim Tyler replaced Allen with an out in the fourth and picked up his second save of the season. Tyler threw the remaining 3.2 innings, allowed five hits and struck out six. 

Cleveland State got two runs in the bottom of the first to take an early lead, but the Senators scored four in the top of the second to take charge. Kenny Cox and Shore walked to open up the inning, and Jackson Berry sacrificed them to second and third. Graham then stepped up and scored a run with an infield single. After Jaxon Walker sacrifice bunted and scored Shore to tie the game, Fenton gave Walters State a 4-2 lead with a two-run blast.

The Cougars got a run back in the bottom of the inning to make it 4-3, but Blalock hammered a two-run home run in the third to make it a 6-3 ballgame. Cleveland State scored two in the fourth to cut things to 6-5, but Tyler stranded a runner on second in the fifth and two runners in the sixth to keep the score there heading to the final inning. 

In the seventh, Blalock got the Senators an insurance run with a mammoth home run that made it 7-5. Cleveland State put runners on the corners in the bottom of the inning, but Tyler struck out the final batter to end the game. 

GAME TWO: No. 16 Walters State 7, Cleveland State 6

In game two, Blalock broke a 6-6 tie with a solo home run in the top of the seventh that eventually won the game. 

Along with Blalock, Holden Pantier, Hayden Blair and Cox all homered. Pantier drove in three runs, while Cox, Shore and Blalock each collected two hits. 

On the mound, Brady Scott got the start and threw four innings. Scott allowed five runs on five hits and struck out four. Ryan Smith (4-1) threw the next two innings and allowed one run on two hits while striking out three, and Lane Sharp picked up his fourth save of the season with a clean seventh inning. 

Cleveland State scored two in the first and one in the second to go up 3-0, but the Senators got a run in the third on a Pantier groundout that scored Graham and two runs in the fourth on a Cox solo home run and Graham fielder's choice that scored Shore to tie the game at three.

In the fifth, Walters State created some separation as Fenton led off with a walk and scored on a Pantier two-run home run. Blair was next up, and he made it 6-3 with a solo shot. However, the Cougars scored two in the fifth and one in the sixth to tie the game. 

In the seventh, the Cougars picked up one out with a strikeout, but Blalock stepped up and hit an opposite-field shot that just got over the fence for a home run to make it 7-6. Sharp entered in the bottom of the inning, and gave up a hit but got two outs on a popout and flyout. With a runner on second, Sharp ended the game, striking out the final batter and stranding the tying run. 

Up Next:

Walters State and Cleveland State play one final game at Cleveland State on Friday. First pitch is set for 12 pm ET.