Pioneers Drop 2nd Week Series to Southwest TN
By: Timothy M. Reece, Athletic Media Coordinator
Due to cold weather, the 2nd week of Conference play saw Vol State's first road series at Southwest Tennessee moved to Saturday, February 22nd and Sunday, February 23rd, at USA Stadium in Millington, TN. The 9-inning game was played on Saturday, with SWTN prevailing, 10-4. The DH began at 11 am, Sunday, and the games were split, with the Pioneers winning game 1, 13-11, and dropping game 2, 9-3.
In game 1, Vol State drew first blood with the help of 3 straight 1-out walks and a sacrifice fly by Carson Sanders (SO-DH). Eben Hansen (SO-RHP) (0-1) got his 4th start of the season and got in trouble quickly, giving up a double and two walks after 4 batters in the bottom of the 1st. With one out and the bases loaded, Hansen proceeded to strike out the next two batters to maintain a 1-0 lead for the Pioneers.
Vol State added two more runs in the top of the 2nd on a single by Lex Falsone (SO-C) and a two-run home run by Drew Plummer (R/SO-2B), his 2nd of the year. The Saluqis got a leadoff homer in the bottom of the 2nd to get on the board and make the score, 3-1 after two innings.
Each team scored one run in the 5th inning. Falsone picked up his 2nd hit of the game – a double to LF – and scored on a single by Devin Thrain (R/SO-CF). Falsone finished 2-4 with a double and 2 runs scored. SWTN scored on an infield single, a couple stolen bases, and a groundout, making the score 4-2, Pioneers. Hansen finished 5 innings, giving up only 3 hits and 2 runs, while walking 3, hitting 1, and striking out 7 Saluqis.
The Pioneer bats went cold the remainder of the game, only picking up 3 more hits in the last 4 innings, while SWTN put up 7 runs in the bottom of the 6th to run out to a 9-4 lead. Vol State pitching allowed 6 hits, a walk, and a hit batter, to go along with a throwing error that allowed the Saluqis to take charge of the contest. SWTN scored a single run in the 8th inning off Max Cassle (SO-RHP), the 4th pitcher for Vol State, who went the last 2 2/3 innings, giving up 1 hit, 1 run, 3 walks, and striking out 1. Cassle calmed the Saluqi bats, getting the last two outs of the 6th and only allowing the lone run in the 8th, resulting in the final score, 10-4. Brady Davis (FR-RHP) (1-1) took the loss. Cassle was named the Toyota of Gallatin Player-of-the-Game.
Jack McLaury (SO-RHP) (3-0) made his 4th start of the year in game 2 of the series, which was game 1 of the DH on Sunday. Four batters in, SWTN took a 3-0 lead on a 3-run home run by the reigning TCCAA Player-of-the-Week, Bryce Turner. The Pioneers scored one run in the top of the 2nd on a single by Gage Hoover (SO-LF), a couple of groundouts, and an RBI single by Reed Muschinsky (R/SO-RF). Vol State trailed 3-1 heading to the bottom of the 2nd, when the Saluqis put another big number on the board. SWTN roughed up McLaury for 5 more runs (4 earned) on 4 hits, including two more home runs. After 2 innings, SWTN led 8-1, and Vol State looked as though they were in danger of an early exit in game 2 due to the mercy rule. However, the Pioneers scored 2 runs in the 3rd inning and 3 runs in each of the 4th and 5th innings, to tie the game 9-9 after SWTN scored a run in their half of the 4th. Those 8 Vol State runs scored as a result of 10 walks, an error, and 4 hits, including Easton Denning's (FR-1B) 2nd home run of the season.
Carter Waltz (SO-LHP), Brody Prairie (FR-LHP), and Drew Morehead (FR-RHP) pitched the final 5 innings of the contest, allowing 3 runs on 3 hits, 4 walks, and a hit batter. Prairie allowed 2 runs in the bottom of the 5th when SWTN re-gained the lead, 11-9, but the Pioneers were not finished. Again, with the aid of Saluqi walks, Vol State scored 4 runs in the top of the 6th inning. Falsone picked up an RBI on a single to left, scoring Muschinsky, who had walked. Plummer, with two runners on, hit his 2nd home run in as many games, and 3rd of the year, to put the Pioneers on top for good, 13-11. Morehead, in his 2nd inning on the mound, pitched a 1-2-3 7th to pick up his 2nd save of the year and make a winner of his former Rossview (Clarksville, TN) HS teammate, Prairie (1-0), who picked up his first collegiate win. Plummer, on the strength of a 2-4, 5 RBI effort, was named the Toyota of Gallatin POTG.
Game 3 of the series started with the Pioneers again jumping out to an early lead, scoring an unearned run on a single by Thrain and a throwing error on the SWTN pitcher on a ground ball by Hoover, which scored Thrain from first base. Chip Harris (SO-RHP) took the ball for Vol State, hoping to deliver the series win. The first three innings were scoreless, with Harris only allowing a lead-off single in the 2nd inning, and Vol State led 1-0 going into the top of the 4th inning. The Pioneers scored 2 runs on a double by Sanders and a one-out, 2-run home run by J.C. Menendez (R/SO-C), his 2nd of the year. Vol State led 3-0 heading to the bottom half of the 4th inning.
The Saluqis finally cracked the scoring column with a single run in the bottom of the 4th, on 2 hits off Harris. However, the bottom of the 5th inning saw SWTN score 6 runs off three Pioneer pitchers, collecting 3 hits, and taking advantage of 5 walks and a hit batter. Four of the six runs scored on bases-loaded walks. It was the 3rd time in the series that the Saluqis had scored 5 or more runs in an inning – one in each game. SWTN led 7-3, but added 2 more runs in the bottom of the 6th to make the final score, 9-3, and take the conference series, 2-1. Harris (1-1) took the loss. The Pioneers finished with 7 hits in the game, including 3 doubles, one each by Denning, Muschinsky, and Sanders. Menendez collected the only RBI's of the game and was named the Toyota of Gallatin POTG. Vol State finished the weekend with an overall 10-4 record, falling to 2-3 in conference play.
The series saw 50 runs scored and 50 hits, including 9 HR's and 9 doubles (4 and 6 respectively by Vol State). Both team's pitchers combined to walk 39 batters and hit 7.