PENSACOLA, Fla. (WTXL) — The Valdosta State baseball team defeated West Florida 6-4, in the first game of its final Gulf South Conference series of the season. The Blazer improved to 27-11 overall and 16-8 in the Gulf South Conference, while the Argos fell to 20-18 overall and 14-9 in the GSC.
The series will conclude on Saturday, April 23, with a doubleheader starting at 2 p.m. ET. Fans can access links to live stats and streaming of the games at vstateblazers.com on the baseball schedule page. Check back with the site for complete recaps and stats of each game throughout the season.
With a slow start to the game, the Blazers got on board first in the third inning with one run, as freshman Ryan Villaman scored on a ground out by senior Luke Ard.
Valdosta State added another run in the fourth as junior Orlando Adams singled to left field and scored from a double by sophomore Jacob Harper for a 2-0 lead.
The Blazers added four more runs in the seventh inning from a grand slam by senior EJ Doskow for his ninth home run of the season and a 6-0 lead.
The Argos responded with a three-run shot in the seventh and added another run in the eighth for a 6-4 final margin.
For the game the Blazers tallied eight hits, two doubles, one home run, six RBI, and four free passes. Ard led the Blazers offense going 2-4 with one RBI and one run scored.
Starting on the mound for the Blazers was senior Elijah Gill. Gill threw 7.2 innings and recorded the win for the Blazers (8-1). Gill totaled nine strikeouts and gave up seven hits, four earned runs, and walked one.
Also throwing for Valdosta State was sophomore JJ Finn and junior Zach Henderson. Henderson recorded the save for the Blazers (3) and one strikeout to finish the game.
With the win, VSU snapped a six-game skid against UWF.
Following the weekend series, the Blazers will finish out the regular season with a midweek matchup against Flagler College on Wednesday, April 27, at 6 p.m., at Billy Grant Field at Tommy Thomas Park.
For all information on Blazer baseball visit vstateblazers.com or follow Valdosta State Athletics on social media.
