MEMPHIS, Tenn. – The Valdosta State baseball team scored runs in the final six innings of the game for a 10-4 victory Sunday afternoon at Christian Brothers to complete its first Gulf South Conference series sweep of the season. The Blazers improved to 18-8 overall and 10-5 in GSC play, while Christian Brothers fell to 11-16 and 2-13 in league play.
The Blazers opened the scoring in the fourth as an error led to the first run of the game as senior Byson Gandy reached on a miscue and then scored on a sophomore Hunter Stowe double to right for a 1-0 lead. CBU responded in the bottom of the frame with a pair of singles and a hit batsmen. An RBI single, followed by an RBI double play and a miscue, plated the third run of the frame for CBU.
VSU pulled within 3-2 in the fifth as it scratched across another run on a sacrifice fly from freshman Raynel Ortiz, plating sophomore Jovanni Canegitta. CBU loaded the bases in the bottom of the fourth as the Blazers turned an inning-ending twin killing to get out of the inning unscathed.
In the sixth, a single from junior Jacob Harper, followed by a walk to Gandy, and Stowe came up clutch, once again, with an RBI single through the left side for a 3-3 score. Sophomore Preston Joye reached on a fielder's choice loading the bases and junior David Crawford plated a run for a 4-3 lead. Canegitta came up with a two RBI single to left for a 6-3 lead.
Harper singled to begin the seventh and advanced to second on a wild pitch and later scored on a Stowe sacrifice fly for a 7-3 lead, followed by a single from Joye for the 11th hit of the game for the Blazers. Senior Kevin Tomas went out for his seventh inning as he allowed five hits, three runs – two earned, walked one and fanned five to that point. He retired the Bucs in order in the bottom of the seventh.
The scoring kept coming for the Blazers in the eighth as Canegitta began the frame with a free pass and stole second, while Ortiz singled through the right side plating Canegitta for an 8-3 lead, marking the fifth-straight inning VSU scored a run. VSU then loaded the bases with two away and pitching change for the Bucs, but were unable to add more runs.
CBU put two on with two out in the bottom of the eighth as VSU went to the bullpen in favor of junior Nick Ferrara. He got out of the jam with a strikeout sending the game to the ninth. The Blazers added two runs in the ninth on a two RBI single from Gates for a 10-3 lead.
In the last at bat for the Bucs, senior Brandon Raiden relieved Ferrara to begin the inning as CBU used a single and a sacrifice bunt to move a runner into scoring position. An RBI single made the score 10-4, but Raiden came up with a strikeout and a fly out to end the game.
The Blazers scored 10 runs on 13 hits with four errors, while CBU had four runs on nine hits and one error. Offensively, Harper was 4 for 5 with two runs scored. Gate went 3 for 5 with two RBI, while Otiz and Stowe each had two hits. Tomas (3-2) earned the win as he went 7.2 innings, allowing seven hits, three runs – two earned, walked just one and fanned six. VSU went a staggering 12 of 13 in stolen bases for the game.
