VALDOSTA, Ga. – Thomas Macera's Valdosta State Blazer softball team put together one of their best games of the year on Sunday to close out a three game Gulf South Conference sweep over the No. 12 ranked Alabama-Huntsville Chargers with an 8-0 mercy rule win at Steel's Diamond at Blazer Park.
 
With the victory, the Blazers improved to 33-9-2 on the year and leaped into fourth place in the GSC with a 17-8-1 record in conference play. The Chargers, meanwhile, fell from third to fifth place after dropping to 33-12 overall and 17-10 against league opponents.
 
The Chargers outhit the Blazers with four hits against VSU's one over the course of the first three innings, but the Blazers lone hit during that stretch was a big one, as Heather Robinson delivered a clutch RBI double with two outs in the opening frame to plate Hayley Cruthers, who reached one batter earlier on a two-out walk.
 
Working with a 1-0 lead, the Valdosta State offense surged and gave Caitlyn Calhoun some breathing room with three third inning runs. Danielle Patterson started the rally with a leadoff single through the middle, and Jaime Phillips put an exclamation point on her final home game as a Blazer with a two-run moonshot over the left field wall. Kiley Rusen kept the line moving with a single in the following at bat, and Robinson shot the gap in left center field two batters later for her second double of the day. Chelsea Canara drew a one out walk to chase UAH starter Tyler Harrison out of the circle, and Brandy Morgan delivered an RBI grounder against Kimberly Jack in the next at bat to drive in another run and give the Blazers a 4-0 advantage.
 
Calhoun, who made her 100^th career appearance and most likely the final start of her career at home, retired six of the next seven hitters she faced to set the stage for a thrilling Blazer finish.
 
Rusen walked to lead off the fifth, and Cruthers transformed a routine ground ball to short into an infield single when she scampered down the first base line ahead of the clean throw to first. With two aboard, Canara followed with a line drive single to third off the glove of Kaitlyn Bannister to load the bases. Morgan capitalized on the opportunity with a base hit to left center for her second RBI of the day, and slugger Falisia Murphy improved to 4-for-7 on the season with a two-run, walkoff base hit to left field.
 
Calhoun's record jumped to 22-4 on the year, and the shutout marked her 12^th of the season. The outing also marked the first time a Blazer pitcher has shutout the Chargers since VSU's national championship season in 2012, when Valdosta State defeated UAH 1-0 on April 28, 2012 in the GSC Tournament.
 
Valdosta State will travel to West Georgia in Carrollton next weekend for a three game set against the Wolves. The series is scheduled to start on Saturday with a doubleheader at 1:00 p.m.