Pioneers Shutout Shawnee in Mid-week Home DH
By: Timothy M. Reece, Athletic Media Coordinator
Vol State Pitcher's flexed their muscles on Tuesday, February 25th, picking up two shutouts over the Shawnee College (IL) Saints: 10-0 and 19-0. They were the first games played by Shawnee as their season was delayed due to weather. Both of Tuesday's games were shortened to less than 5 innings because of the mercy rule as the Pioneers scored early and often in each game.
Parker White (R/SO-LHP) was the game 1 starter for Vol State, and he retired the first three batters he faced in the top of the 1st. It would be almost 30 minutes before White would re-take the mound as the Pioneers sent 11 batters to the plate in the bottom of the 1st, scoring 8 runs on 5 hits. They were also aided by 4 walks enroute to an 8-0 lead. Devin Thrain (R/SO-CF), Hudson Blank (FR-3B), and Tucker Lorenz (FR-SS) each had 2 RBI base hits in the inning, with Blank picking up the only extra-base hit of the inning, a double to the base of the CF fence. All 9 batters reached in the 1st inning, either by a hit or a walk, and 8 of 9 batters scored.
No one knew it at the time, but that would not be the highest scoring inning of the day. A well-rested White took the mound for the top of the 2nd and was touched for a single by the lead-off batter before retiring the next 3 batters in order. White (2-0) finished with 3 K's and retired 6 of the 7 batters he faced. The win was his 8th career victory at Volunteer State.
R.J. Moore (R/SO-RHP) pitched a scoreless 3rd inning, allowing only 2 walks, while striking out 2 batters. Caden Blackford (R/SO-RHP) pitched the final 2 innings, preserving the shutout, giving up only 1 hit. The three redshirt sophomores combined for the shutout allowing only 2 hits and 2 walks. One runner reached on an error, but the Vol State defense helped erase a couple with two double plays in the contest.
The Pioneers scored a single run in the 4th inning on another RBI single by Thrain, who went 2-3 with 3 RBI's, and was named the Toyota of Gallatin Player of the Game. Vol State led 9-0 going into the bottom of the 5th, needing only one more run to end the game early. They got that run after one out. Drew Plummer (R/SO-2B) walked and was doubled to 3rd by Reed Muschinsky (R/SO-RF). Easton Denning (FR-1B) singled to RF, scoring Plummer, giving Vol State the walk-off, mercy rule win. Vol State collected 9 total hits, as 8 of the 9 hitters picked up at least one.
Game 2 of the DH started similarly to the 1st. Brady Davis (FR-RHP) bounced back from his poor outing at Southwest Tennessee over the weekend and threw 2 innings of shutout baseball. Davis struck out 5 Saints, while scattering 3 hits and a hit batter. He was aided by another large output of runs by his teammates, leaving the game with the score 9-0 after 1 ½ innings, on his way to his 2nd victory in 3 decisions.
In the bottom of the 1st inning, the first 2 Pioneers were retired on groundouts. Easton Denning, who had provided the walk-off heroics in game 1, then singled to CF, which started a string of 10 straight Pioneers reaching base, either by hit (7) or walk (3), which was one better than in the bottom of the 1st inning in game 1. Brady Knepper (SO-SS) laced a bases-loaded double down the RF line that cleared the bases. Lex Falsone drove Knepper home with a single to LF. After lead-off batter Drew Plummer single in his 2nd at-bat of the inning, Reed Muschinsky doubled to CF, driving in Falsone. Denning's 2nd hit of the inning completed the scoring, sending both Plummer and Muschinsky to the plate to give Vol State a 9-0 lead. 13 batters came to the plate and all 9 starters scored.
If there was any hope for Shawnee College, down 9-0 after 1 inning, the Pioneers buried that by sending 13 more batters to the plate in the 2nd inning, scoring 8 more runs to lead 17-0 after 2. Six substitute hitters for Vol State came to the plate in the 2nd inning, with 5 of them collecting hits. Abe Goolsby (FR-1B), Cooper Wallace (R/FR-OF), Brody Prairie (FR-OF), and Jadyn Perez (FR-OF) each secured their first collegiate hits, with Goolsby and Wallace going 2-2 in the game. Goolsby finished with 2 runs scored and a double. Perez also doubled and drove in 2 runs. Wallace, Prairie, Elijah Harris (FR-IF) and Luke Lawson (R/FR-OF) got their first RBI's of their careers.
Vol State rounded out the scoring with 2 runs in the bottom of the 3rd inning. Falsone picked up his 3rd hit of the game, with a double to RCF. Hudson Blank pinch ran for Falsone, who finished 3-3, scoring 2 runs, and driving in 3. A sacrifice fly by Lawson scored Blank, and a single by Wallace drove in Goolsby, who had doubled, making the score 19-0. Brady Knepper, who had been out with an injury, got his first start of the season and finished 2-4 at the plate with a double and 4 RBI's. Falsone and Knepper shared the honor of being named the Toyota of Gallatin Players of the Game.
Bryant Rascoll (R/SO-RHP), Jack Lester (FR-RHP) and Dawson Sweetland (FR-LHP) each threw a scoreless inning of relief. Rascoll struck out all 3 batters he faced in the 3rd. Lester, in his collegiate debut on the mound, faced the minimum in the 4th, striking out one batter. Sweetland also made his collegiate debut, pitching the 5th inning and getting the final out to preserve the shutout.
Vol State (12-4, 2-3) will host the Columbia State Chargers for a weekend TCCAA conference series beginning at 2pm on Friday, February 28th and continuing to Saturday, March 1st. Vol State lost all 3 games to Columbia State in Columbia, TN in 2024 and are looking to break the losing streak. If you are unable to attend the games at the Tim Garrett Baseball Complex on the campus of Volunteer State CC in Gallatin, please tune in on the VolState Sports Network on YouTube.