CARROLLTON, Ga. (VALDOSTA STATE ATHLETICS) — The No. 19 Valdosta State baseball team dropped its doubleheader against West Georgia in the Red Clay Rivalry Series. The Blazers fell 14-4 in game one, and 7-6 in game two.
The Blazers dropped to 22-10 on the season and 13-7 in the Gulf South Conference while the Wolves improved to 18-15 overall and 9-11 in the GSC.
Game One (UWG 14 – VSU 4)
The Blazers got on board first in the second from a solo home run by redshirt senior Luke Ard. Valdosta State added another in the fourth as Ard doubled to right field and scored again from a sacrifice fly by freshman Anthony Gutierrez.
West Georgia answered back and added three in the fourth to take the lead 3-2. The Blazers went scoreless while the Wolves posted one in the fifth, three in the sixth, four in the seventh, and three in the eighth.
The Blazers continued to fight back and added two in the eighth as junior Jose Crisostomo Bock and junior Ryan Romano scored but it wasn't enough as the Wolves took the game 14-4 in eight innings.
The Blazers tallied nine hits, four RBI, one double, one home run, one free pass, one hits baseman, and two errors.
Leading the Blazer offense was Ard going 4-4 with one home run, one double, two RBI, and two runs scored. Also, recording hits for Valdosta State was Crisostomo Bock (2), graduate student Mike Christopoulos (2), and sophomore Jacob Harper (1).
Starting on the mound for Valdosta State was sophomore JJ Finn as he threw 3.2 innings and recorded the loss for the Blazers (3-3). Finn recorded one strikeout and gave up seven hits, three runs, and one hits basemen.
Also pitching for the Blazers was junior Braden Raiden, sophomore Nick Ferrara, junior Mason Sharp, junior Jake Janata, and junior Roger Ceballos.
Game Two (UWG 7 – VSU 6)
Valdosta State got on the board first with two runs in the first inning as Romano scored on a sacrifice file and junior Orlando Adams scored on a double from Ard. The Blazers also added two in the second as freshman Cory McCann and Romano crossed home plate.
The Wolves answered back and added two in the second and two in the third to tie the game at four.
The Blazer defense held the Wolves at four and added two more in the fifth from a two run home run by Harper who scored Crisostomo Bock who reached on from a free pass.
Valdosta State couldn't hold on any longer as West Georgia added three more in the sixth and took the game 7-6.
The Blazers tallied seven hits, six RBI, one double, one home run, one stolen base, six free passes, and one error. Offensively, Doskow led the Blazers going 2-4 with one stolen base. Hits for Valdosta State were also collected by Romano (1), Crisostomo Bock (1), Ard (1), Harper (1), and sophomore Preston Joye.
Starting on the mound for the Blazers was junior Kevin Tomas. Tomas through 2.2 innings and recorded one strikeout and gave up seven hits, four runs, and two free passes. Junior Zach Henderson relieved Tomas and threw 1.1 innings and recorded one strikeout.
Also pitching for the Blazers was graduate student Adrian Garrastazu, sophomore Scott Curran, and sophomore Raymond Fields. Curran recorded the loss for the Blazers as he gave up one hit, one run, and one free pass.
The Blazers are back in action on Tuesday, April 12, at 5 p.m., for a midweek matchup against Georgia College.
For all information on Blazer baseball visit vstateblazers.com or follow Valdosta State Athletics on social media.
