VALDOSTA, Ga. – The Valdosta State Blazer softball team came from behind in game one and held off a comeback attempt in game two to score a pair of huge Gulf South Conference wins (5-4, 7-5) over the No. 12 ranked Alabama Huntsville Chargers on Senior Day at Steel's Diamond at Blazer Park in Valdosta, Ga.
 
The Chargers (33-11, 17-9), scored four runs in the first two innings of the opening contest, but Caitlyn Calhoun locked the game down from that point on, holding UAH scoreless throughout the remaining five frames.
 
During that stretch, Valdosta State (32-9-2, 16-8-1 GSC) turned momentum in their favor with single runs in the bottom half of both the second and the third inning, thanks to a pair of solo shots by Chelsea Canara and senior Kiley Rusen, which trimmed the Blazers' deficit to 4-2.
 
The two homers were the only hits allowed by UAH starter Tyler Harrison until the fifth inning, when Lauren Shaw teamed up with Danielle Patterson for back-to-back singles. Rusen rolled a grounder to first two batters later, and all runners were safe as first baseman Abby Roberts elected to throw to second base and Patterson beat out the throw. VSU squandered the opportunity to cut into UAH's lead, however, as Shaw was caught between home and third after a wild pitch took a favorable bounce off of the backstop. Harrison induced a groundout in the ensuing at bat to keep her team in front.
 
The sixth inning was a different story for the Blazer offense, as Heather Robinson started a critical rally for the red and black with a screaming line drive single to center field. Canara sacrificed pinch runner Kaylee Brown to second in the next at bat with a bunt, and Brown came in to score one batter later when Brandy Morgan hit a slicing fly ball to right that turned into a three-base error when Sullivan dropped the ball near the right field line. Morgan promptly came in to tie the game at 4-4 after Taylor Hartenbach hit a hot shot to short that was mishandled by UAH shortstop Jada Hayes, and Hartenbach crossed as the deciding run on a wild pitch after taking third when Shaw singled to right center.
 
Calhoun recorded her 21^st win of the season and improved to 21-4 with the victory, while Harrison fell to 19-6, despite allowing just two earned runs in the contest.
 
"It's Huntsville, ya know," said Head Coach Thomas Macera after the sweep. "If you give them chances they are gonna score. They're a great team, and our performance in game one just showed the resilience of our team. One of our mottos is that it takes seven innings to win a game, and we just kept chipping away and were able to get enough in the end."
 
In game two, Canara sparked the Blazer offense yet again with a clutch two-out, RBI single in the bottom of the first. The Chargers knotted the contest up at 1-1, however, in the top of the third after Savannah Smith led off the frame with a single, stole second base, and scored on one of Lexi Beach's three base hits in the contest.
 
The Blazers fired back in the bottom half, as Rusen led off with her second homer of the day to put VSU back in front with a 2-1 lead, and three straight singles by Robinson, Canara, and Morgan loaded the bases for Hartenbach. The lefty delivered with an RBI fielder's choice to second base to put the Blazers up 3-1, before stealing second base during the following at bat and drawing a throw to second base, which allowed Canara to cross for VSU's fourth run of the game.
 
The Blazers piled on in the fourth inning with a leadoff homer that landed in the midst of near her family in the parking lot beyond the left field wall. Rusen followed with a single to left for her third hit of the day, and Cruthers left the yard on the following plate appearance to put VSU in front 7-1 with a pair of critical insurance runs.
 
The Chargers returned fire in the top of the fifth with three runs on three hits and two Blazer errors, but Huntyre Elling weathered the storm to keep the lead intact. Maci Fletcher came on in the sixth to work a quick inning and allowed just one runner to reach, before giving way to Calhoun in the seventh after allowing three consecutive singles to open up the final frame. Calhoun allowed an RBI single to Taylor Wascavage, but induced a popup by Harrison, struck out Kelly Campbell, and sealed her second save of the season with a fly out to left off the bat of Sullivan.
 
"Canara had a great day today," added Macera. "We hit the ball hard up and down the lineup, and we had some girls really step up today. We ran the bases very well. Every time they made a miscue, we took a plus base, and that's what you have to do against a team like Huntsville."
 
Elling picked up the win to improve to 10-5 on the year, while UAH starter Emily Glover took the loss to fall to 5-3.
 
The Blazers return to action tomorrow to try and pick up the series sweep with a 1:00 p.m. series finale at Steel's Diamond at Blazer Park.