JACKSON, Tenn. – Valdosta State used
Clint Carr's second home run of the season to cap off a sixth-run fourth inning, which led to a 10-4 Gulf South Conference victory for the Blazers over the Union Bulldogs on a snowy afternoon at Fesmire Field in Jackson, Tenn.
The triumph for VSU resulted in a 2-1 series win for the Blazers over the Bulldogs and improved Valdosta State to 16-11 overall on the season and 9-6 in GSC play. Meanwhile, Union dropped to 14-9 overall and 8-6 against league competition.
Valdosta State sent 11 batters to the plate during the deciding fourth inning and scored six runs on four hits.
Scott Mathews sparked the frame with a one-out single, and
Dalton Duty followed with a walk.
Marcus Sigmon capitalized and scored both runners with a two-run double, and
Tyler York kept the line moving with a two-out walk two batters later. Starter Joe Hudson's struggles continued on the hill, as he walked
Ryan Smith and allowed Sigmon to score on a wild pitch. With two aboard, Carr followed with the big three-run blast to right center field and put the Blazers in front 6-1.
One inning later, Duty led off with a triple and scored later in the frame by way of a
Cliff Bryant single back through the middle. The insurance run helped soften the blow of two runs scored by the Bulldogs in the bottom of the frame. Blazer starter
Kyle Andre was forced to give way to
Beau Blair in the bottom of the fifth, but with the support of the VSU offense, Andre was able to claim the victory after leaving the game with a 7-3 advantage.
Andre's winning performance included five strikeouts over 4.2 innings of work, in which he allowed just four hits and three runs to improve to 2-2 on the season. Union's Joe Hudson took the loss to fall to 3-3 overall.
Valdosta State's offense put together 12 hits in the game to account for their double-digit run production, and Mathews led the way with three hits in five at-bats, one run scored, and one RBI.
The Blazers return to action at home on Wednesday against the No. 1 ranked Tampa Spartans. First pitch is slated for 5:00 p.m. at Billy Grant Field in Valdosta, Ga.
