ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. - The Valdosta State softball team capped off a great weekend in St. Augustine, Fla. with non-conference wins over both Flagler (8-3) and Embry-Riddle (11-2) on Sunday afternoon at Flagler Field.
Despite being held to just one hit through five innings in game one, the Blazers managed to score three runs in the first five frames, two of which came in the first inning on a wild pitch and passed ball. Four innings later, VSU managed to send
Courtney Albritton across without the benefit of a hit, thanks to a sacrifice fly off the bat of
Jaime Phillips.
In the bottom of that same inning, Flagler capitalized on two VSU errors to score two runs and tie the contest up at 3-3.
The Blazers answered quickly in the top half of the sixth, however, with a game-changing inning that began with a leadoff homer from senior
Fran Johnson, who lifted a shot over the left field wall to give VSU a 4-3 advantage. The home run was Johnson's second in as many days, and sparked a five run inning that came on four hits and one error.
Caitlyn Calhoun earned the 8-3 win after a seven-inning effort in which she allowed just one earned run, struck out four batters and allowed five hits.
In the second inning of game two, junior
Huntyre Elling gave up back-to-back singles and hit the next batter to load the bases. She was forced to give way to
Maci Fletcher in the circle when she issued a bases-loaded walk in the following at-bat to give Embry-Riddle an early 1-0 lead.
Fletcher welcomed the challenge with the bases loaded and nobody out, as she struck out the first batter she faced before inducing a fielder's choice grounder for an out at the plate. Fletcher flinched one time in the half-inning with a bases-loaded walk, but promptly recovered and forced ERU to groundout to
Jaime Phillips at shortstop to end the inning with a 2-0 lead.
The Blazers faced a 2-0 deficit until the third inning, when Head Coach
Thomas Macera's squad came alive to score eight runs on three hits. Jennifer and
Jaime Phillips, who each walked earlier in the frame, both scored on a critical infield error, before VSU catcher
Kelly Gordon delivered the highlight of the inning, a bases-loaded, three-run double.
With an 8-2 lead in the fourth, Valdosta State tacked on an additional three runs to take an 11-2 lead after
Brandy Morgan matched Gordon with a bases loaded, three run double of her own. The blow came with two outs, and helped the Blazers open up a lead large enough to abbreviate the game to five innings.
Fletcher picked up her first win of the season in game two after pitching four scoreless innings and allowing the opposition to hit just .154.
On the day, Johnson tallied three hits in five at-bats with a double and a homer. She reached safely five times in seven plate appearances and finished the day with seven total bases, two RBI's, and two runs scored.
The pair of victories on Sunday wrapped up a perfect weekend for the Blazers and improved the team to 7-1 on the year.
Road play continues for VSU on Wednesday, February 11 with a double header matchup against the Golden Rams of Albany State in Albany, Ga. at 3:00 p.m..
