COLUMBUS, Ga. - The Valdosta State softball team capped off a perfect weekend with a pair of victories over Armstrong Atlantic (13-9) and No. 1 ranked North Georgia (11-4) on Sunday afternoon at the Peach Belt / Gulf South Conference Crossover Tournament in Columbus, Ga.
Despite allowing 10 hits and nine runs,
Caitlyn Calhoun picked up her second win of the weekend and improved to 2-0 after the day's first contest with the help of VSU's most impressive offensive performance of the weekend.
The Blazer bats racked up 10 hits and took advantage of four Armstrong Atlantic errors to account for five of their 13 runs on the day. Four of their 13 runs in the contest came early, after the Blazers got off to a quick start in the bottom of the first inning.
After falling behind 2-0 in the top half of the opening frame,
Kiley Rusen tied the game with a two-run shot to left center, and
Brandy Morgan capitalized on back to back walks issued to
Hayley Cruthers and
Lauren Shaw with a two-run double to left.
The Blazers added four more in the third on a two run double by Phillips, an RBI single by Cruthers, and an unearned run scored by
Danielle Patterson. The Blazers took an 8-2 lead after that third inning surge, which was enough to keep VSU on top after Armstrong retaliated with four runs of their own in the ensuing half inning.
Holding to an 8-6 advantage,
Chelsea Canara got in on the action with her first homer of the season, a solo shot down the left field line. Patterson scored again later in the inning on a Rusen single, after drawing a walk and moving into scoring position with a stolen base. The pair of runs put the Blazers in front 10-6, and VSU's lead was extended just two innings later on a pair of homers by Morgan and Rusen, which opened up a 13-6 lead for the red and black after six.
Valdosta State's top three spots of the lineup, Phillips, Rusen, and Cruthers teamed up to drive in eight of the Blazers' 13 runs, while Rusen alone accounted for five. In addition, the trio scored five times in the game.
Game two got off to a rocky start for Valdosta State, as North Georgia strung together five consecutive hits for three runs off of starter
Maci Fletcher. Head Coach
Thomas Macera was forced to make a switch in the circle with runners on second and third and nobody out, and
Huntyre Elling answered the call. Elling allowed the runner at third to cross on a ground out in the first, but the senior retired 21 of 22 batters during her seven innings of work and allowed just one hit to the Nighthawks the rest of the way.
The Blazer offense took full advantage of the opportunity, scoring two in the bottom half of the first and reclaiming the lead with three more runs in the bottom of the second. With an additional run in the fourth and the sixth surrounding a four-run fourth, Elling was able to claim her second win of the weekend and improved her record to 2-0 on the year.
In game two, Rusen led the Blazer offense yet again, driving in four RBI's on a 2-for-3 effort that included one walk, a double, and three runs scored. Her fifth inning homer marked her third of the day, and Phillips and McIntyre fueled the fire with home runs of their own in the fourth and fifth innings, respectively. Rusen finished the day 5-for-7 with nine RBI's and five runs scored.
Valdosta State improved to 4-0 upon conclusion of Sunday's sweep, while the Pirates evened up their record at 2-2, and the Nighthawks fell to 0-4.
The Gulf South Conference teams posted a tremendous showing against the Peach Belt Conference during the tournament with wins in 13 of the 16 games that took place in Columbus over the weekend.
Valdosta State will open up the home portion of their 2016 schedule on Tuesday, with a double header against Flagler at Steel's Diamond in Valdosta, Ga. First pitch is scheduled for 4:00 p.m.
