MEMPHIS, Tenn. – The Valdosta State softball team finished up the weekend series against Christian Brothers with a 10-5 win in Gulf South Conference action on a rainy Sunday afternoon in Memphis, Tenn.
 
The Blazer victory marked the 19^th consecutive win for Blazer softball and improved the team to 29-2 overall and 16-1 in GSC play. The series sweep dropped the Lady Bucs to 6-21 overall and 2-13 against the rest of the league.
 
Jaime Phillips picked up where she left off on Saturday with a home run in the first at-bat of the contest for her seventh homer of the season. The junior shortstop's solo shot put the Blazers on top 1-0 and ignited a six-run first in which the Blazers sent 11 batters to the plate and took a 6-0 lead on four hits, one CBU error, and a walk.
 
The other big hit of the half inning came from Chelsea Canara, who connected for a two-run homer in the first. Canara, hitting in the eighth spot for Valdosta State, hit the ball hard in each of her four at-bats and finished the day 2-for-4 with two home runs, her second and third of the season.
 
CBU catcher Lauren Provence scored the first run of the series for the Lady Bucs when she led off the top of the second inning with a solo home run off of the left field foul pole. The run cut VSU's lead to 6-1 and marked the first run allowed by Caitlyn Calhoun in 46.1 innings.
 
Canara led off the third inning with her second homer to extend the Blazers' lead to 7-1, before the Lady Bucs answered with three runs in the bottom half of the frame to trim Valdosta State's lead to 7-4.
 
With runners at second and third, Cici Rosa-Ramon put down a perfect bunt on a squeeze attempt that squirted between the gloves of both Calhoun and Kiley Rusen for a base hit and an RBI. Alana Byrd came on to pinch run for CBU and moved up to second before both she and Jennifer Gonzalez scored on a well-hit single down the left field line off the bat of Gabrielle Sereika.
 
Jennifer Phillips helped pad the Blazers' lead in the fourth with a leadoff triple into the right field corner, before tagging up to score on a sacrifice fly in foul territory by Morgan Butler. Gonzalez made the play in foul ground down the left field line, but her attempt to cut down Jennifer Phillips hit the junior in the back and fell to the ground as she slid in safely to give VSU an 8-4 lead.
 
Valdosta State provided more support for Calhoun in the fifth when Fran Johnson and Halie Imler teamed up for a nifty base running play. Halie Imler stood at third base, while Johnson occupied first, and Imler managed to swipe home after Johnson drew a throw down to second on a stolen base attempt. That run, along with an RBI single by Rusen, gave the Blazers two fifth inning tallies to put the Blazers in front 10-4.
 
The only other run of the game came on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Sereika to score Gonzalez, who reached safely three times in four at-bats with two singles and a double.
 
Calhoun saw her streak of consecutive shutouts come to an end at seven, but a gutsy effort in unfavorable weather conditions produced her 16^th straight win and improved the junior to 17-1 on the season. Her line on the afternoon included four strikeouts and eight hits allowed in seven innings of work.
 
For the Lady Bucs, Kacey Beekman suffered her second loss of the weekend against Valdosta State. Her record fell to 3-11 on the year following Sunday's defeat.
 
The Blazers continue on the road with a doubleheader on Wednesday afternoon in Greenwood, SC beginning at 4:00 p.m.