VALDOSTA, Ga. – West Alabama rolled to a 15-6 victory in game one and claimed game two 5-2 as the Tigers swept a Gulf South Conference baseball doubleheader from Valdosta State at Billy Grant Field Saturday afternoon.
West Alabama (14-8, 8-5) sent 10 men to the plate and scored five runs in the top of the third inning to open the game one scoring. Daniel Bolte singled to open the frame before Parker Madden drew a one-out walk. A single through the right-side of the infield by Jack Cockrum plated Bolte while Mitch Holgate reached on an infield base hit while Eddie Kieffer drove home two with a single. Two batters later, Luigi Mendez doubled down the left field line to score Holgate and Keiffer for the 5-0 Tiger lead.
The Tigers added four more runs in the top of the fourth inning, with three coming on Nick Delgado's first home run of the year, before Valdosta State (13-9, 7-6) struck for three runs in the bottom of the inning.
Mike Reed singled with two outs in the frame and stole second before
Michael Gouge singled him home.
Bryant Hayman followed with his GSC-leading seventh home run of the year to pull VSU to within 9-3.
UWA added three more runs in the top of the eighth inning and, after the Blazers scored once in the bottom of the eighth, scored its final three runs in the ninth. Gouge hit his fifth home run of the year, with Reed on first, in the bottom of the ninth for the game's final runs.
Jorge Cruz surrendered 10 hits and four runs in 7.2 innings of work to improve to 4-2 on the season while VSU's
Mitchell Cody gave up 10 hits and nine runs in 5.0 innings to fall to 3-1.
Gouge was 3-for-4 with three RBI and two runs scored to lead VSU offensively in the game while Hayman and
Jayk Graham had two hits each.
The Tigers also scored first in the second game as Holgate singled with one out the first inning and scored as Kieffer followed with a double to right-center for a 1-0 UWA lead.
A double steal with runners on first and third pushed the West Alabama lead to 2-0 in the third inning before getting three more in the fourth to push its advantage five runs. With one out in the fourth, Tanner Rainey hit a fly ball to right that looked as if it were going to be caught. However, as VSU rightfielder
Kevin Cruz planted his feet for the catch, he slipped on the wet grass and the ball went over his head and to the wall. Daniel Bolte followed with a single to plate Rainey. Two batters later, Nick Delgado singled and scored along with Bolte when Jack Cockrum singled to right, a ball that Cruz also committed an error on to put UWA in front 5-0.
Blazer
Kyle Andre allowed nine hits and five runs while striking out eight in a complete game as he fell to 3-1 on the season. Meanwhile, West Alabama's Fernando Gonzalez gave up five hits and two runs in 6.0 innings to improve to 4-1. Rainey pitched a perfect seventh inning to earn his sixth save.
Cruz paced the Blazers offensively in the game as he finished with two hits in three at-bats.
The Blazers got on the board in the bottom of the sixth inning when Hayman singled with one out and scored as
Hayden Jones followed with his fifth home run of the year to pull VSU to within 5-2.
The two teams conclude the three-game series with a single game beginning at 1:00 p.m. on Sunday.
