VALDOSTA, Ga. – The Valdosta State softball team was turned away from its bid for a seventh straight Gulf South Conference title after falling to the Alabama-Huntsville Chargers 6-3 in an elimination game of the 2015 GSC Tournament on Friday afternoon at Steel's Diamond at Blazer Park.
 
The Blazers (46-7), who lost their second straight game for the first time this season and have shown uncharacteristic struggles on offense as of late, scored three runs in the game, all of which came by way of a pair of long balls off the bats of the Phillips twins.
 
Alabama-Huntsville (38-13), the second seeded team in the tournament and the eleventh ranked team in all of Division II softball, struck first with a two-out rally that began with a hit batsman, and ended with a two-run single by Victoria Crumpton.
 
Facing a 2-0 deficit in the third, Valdosta State got a boost from Jaime Phillips, who belted her 16^th home run of the 2015 season over the wall in center field to lead off the third inning. Not to be outdone, Jennifer Phillips followed suit later in the frame with a two run moonshot into the parking lot that also brought Brandy Morgan in to score and put the Blazers on top 3-2.
 
Valdosta State's lead was short-lived, however, as UAH used two defensive miscues and two hits to plate two runs and reclaim a 4-3 lead in the bottom half of the inning.
 
In the fifth, the Chargers notched another two-run inning after GSC Player of the Year Kaitlyn Bannister slapped a single back through the box and came all the way around to score on an Abby Roberts double. Tyler Harrison squeezed another double inside the left field line in the following at bat to drive in Roberts for the sixth and final run of the contest.
 
In contrast to Thursday's loss, the Blazers were unable to find an offensive rhythm against winning pitcher Harrison, who improved to 15-3 overall and held Valdosta State to just four hits in the game.
 
Calhoun was forced to exit a contest early for the first time this season after allowing five earned runs and seven hits in 4.1 innings of work. The junior struck out three and did not walk a batter, but fell to 27-5 on the year.
 
The Blazers, who are expected to continue their season with a possible hosting opportunity next week in the South Regional Tournament, must now wait for the NCAA Division II Softball Selection Show, which is scheduled to air on Monday morning at 10:00 a.m. on www.ncaa.org. Be sure to follow us on Twitter (@BlazerAthletics) and check back at www.vstateblazers.com for updates regarding Valdosta State's schedule as postseason play continues.