VALDOSTA, Ga. – The Valdosta State softball team outscored Union 22-3 at Fesmire Field to open up the weekend Gulf South Conference series with a Saturday sweep (11-0, 11-3) over the Lady Bulldogs in Jackson, Tenn.
 
The Blazers improved to 22-8-1 on the season and 10-7 in GSC play with the pair of victories, while Union fell to 5-27 overall and dropped to 2-15 against league opponents on the season.
 
Hayley Cruthers and Jaime Phillips fueled the Blazers in game one and teamed up to drive in four runs in the first inning alone. After Union's Cassie Mills issued a pair of walks to Taylor Hartenbach and Kiley Rusen to start the game, Heather Robinson hit into a fielder's choice ground ball, which resulted in the first out of the inning at second base. Cruthers drove in Hartenbach with a single through the middle for the first run of the game, and Phillips connected two batters later for her fourth homer of the season, a three run blast to right center field.
 
Caitlyn Calhoun (14-4) used 12 strikeouts to strand seven Union runners during her five innings of work and recorded her fourth double-digit strikeout performance of the year with 12 punchouts in the game one victory.
 
The Valdosta State offense continued to pile on, with multiple runs scored in all but one of the final four frames. Cruthers struck again in the fourth inning for her second long ball of the game and her fourth in seven days with a laser down the right field line that peppered the foul pole and put VSU up 9-0 heading into the final inning.
 
The junior lefty carried her momentum into game two with an RBI single in the first, before Valdosta State coughed up the lead for the first time of the day after a two-run blast by Reagan Schrader in the bottom half of the inning.
 
Union's lead was short-lived, however, as the Blazer bats put together a monster inning in the top of the second. Brandy Morgan led off the frame with a single, and returned to the plate ten batters later with the bases loaded. The sophomore delivered, as she swung for her first career grand slam and capped off an eight-run second that gave VSU a 9-3 advantage.
 
Elling (7-4) battled throughout the remainder of the day to allow just one more run in the contest, and received some help by her defense in the fourth. With the bases loaded, Haley Barnette slapped a potential base hit to the left side, but Canara speared the hot grounder and threw to the plate to cut down the lead runner. On the same play, Emily Bennett rounded too wide at third, and Kelly Gordon threw behind her at third base. A rundown ensued, before Bennett was ultimately cut down at the plate, leaving Union scoreless in the frame.
 
As a result, VSU's eight run lead remained intact and the contest ended early to give the Blazers their second win of the day by way of the mercy rule.
 
Valdosta State will go for the series sweep at Fesmire Field tomorrow at 2:00 p.m. EST, with live coverage of the game available at www.vstateblazers.com.