VALDOSTA, Ga. – The Blazers of Valdosta State softball used an offensive explosion on Tuesday to blast nine homers in a pair of lopsided victories (8-0, 19-3) over the Albany State Golden Rams in non-conference South Region action at Steel's Diamond at Blazer Park in Valdosta, Ga.
 
Valdosta State got off to a slow start and was held hitless in the first two frames of game one by ASU pitcher Alexa Lopez. Fran Johnson woke up the bats up in the third, however, with a single over the head of right fielder Anria Peterson. Jaime Phillips, who was hit by a pitch for the second time of the game in the previous at-bat, moved up to second base on Johnson's single, and Kiley Rusen opened the flood gates with an RBI single back through the box. The run accounted for one of four in the inning, as Brandy Morgan belted a three one bomb to left center in the following at-bat. The long ball represented Morgan's 11^th of the season and put VSU on top 4-0.
 
Johnson continued her perfect effort at the plate in game one with a three-run homer of her own in the fourth. The high, long shot to center marked the second of the game for the Blazers and set the stage for Heather Robinson, who delivered a walk-off single one inning later that plated Jennifer Phillips and capped off the 8-0 win by way of the mercy rule.
 
The Blazers' carried momentum straight into game two with a four-run first inning that featured two more home runs. Rusen gave the Blazers a 2-0 lead with a screamer that got just high enough to clear the center field wall, before Robinson matched the effort two batters later with a blast that hit the top of the protective covering along the outfield wall and bounced over for the sophomore's second homer of the season.
 
Working with a 4-0 lead in the second, the Blazers didn't let up and added four more with another RBI single by Rusen, followed by a three-run shot by Jennifer Phillips two batters later that gave the red and black an 8-0 advantage.
 
In the third, Johnson increased her home run total to 11 on the year with her second of the day, a two-run no doubter to left field that brought in Halie Imler, who singled with one away earlier in the frame.
 
And then there was the fourth inning. Valdosta State sent 13 batters to the plate in one of their biggest innings of the year that included nine runs scored on six hits, three of which were home runs. Chelsea Canara struck first with a three-run laser to center, and Rusen increased her RBI total to eight on the day with her first career grand slam. Jennifer Phillips added her second circuit rout of the day and the Blazers' seventh of the game with a solo shot to center field two batters later, which pushed the Blazers out in front 19-2.
 
The seven four-baggers in game two matched a Gulf South Conference record for the most homers hit in a single game by one team. The feat has been accomplished three teams in GSC history, with the last being the Tigers of West Alabama, who slugged seven big flies against Tuskegee in 2013.
 
Caitlyn Calhoun recorded her 16^th shutout of the season in game one to tie former Blazer Karie Newton (1997) for total shutouts in a single season by a Valdosta State softball player. Calhoun struck out ten batters in five innings of work in the contest, and the victory improved the junior hurler to 25-3 on the year.
 
The game two victory belonged to Huntyre Elling, who threw three perfect innings to improve her record to 14-0, before Maci Fletcher came in and closed the door on the Golden Rams in the final two innings.
 
Next up for the Blazers is the final road trip of the regular season to Cleveland, Tenn., where the squad will square off against the Lee Lady Flames. The three-game series will be carried live on www.vstateblazers.com and is scheduled to begin with a Saturday doubleheader at 2:00 p.m. EST.