VALDOSTA, Ga. – The No. 6 ranked Valdosta State softball team remained perfect in Gulf South Conference play following a Saturday doubleheader sweep of the West Florida Argonauts (7-4, 11-3) in league action at Steel's Diamond in Valdosta, Ga.
 
The pair of wins pushed Valdosta State out to a 15-3 start overall and a 5-0 start in GSC play, while the Argonauts fell to 9-5 overall and dropped to 1-4 against league opponents.
 
West Florida opened up the scoring with a base hit by Kathleen Smiley in the top half of the opening frame to score Meghan Toney, who was hit by a pitch two batters prior. The Blazers answered back in the bottom half, however, when they used a leadoff single and two Argonaut errors to tie the score at 1-1.
 
One inning later, Chelsea Canara launched her fifth home run of the season over the wall in center field to put the Blazers back in front 3-1. The two-run blast accounted for each of Canara's two RBI's on the day and added cushion to her league-leading total of 30 thus far on the season.
 
In the top of the third, UWF recorded three base hits against Blazer starter Avery Lamb. Lamb limited the damage, however, and received a boost from Catherine Evans in right field, who picked a line drive out of the air to leave two runners stranded and keep VSU's lead intact at 3-2.
 
The Blazers held their one-run lead until the top of the fifth, when Tiona Hill followed Callan Taylor's RBI single with an RBI triple. The two-run half inning put UWF up by one, but the resilient Blazers answered with three hits in the bottom half of the same inning to tie the contest up at 4-4.
 
Valdosta State's decisive surge came in the bottom half of the sixth inning, when the Blazers once again capitalized on UWF's miscues by supplementing two Argonaut errors with three hits for three runs.
 
The sixth inning push helped secure a win for freshman Kathryn Carter in game one, which she used for momentum in a game two start. With the help of the Blazer bats and a four-inning effort, in which she held the Argonauts to just three hits, Carter picked up the win in game two as well and boosted her record to a perfect 5-0 on the year.
 
Offensive support in game two came early, as Jessica Mohl led off with a single in the bottom of the first, before Canara and Taylor Hartenbach loaded the bases with a pair of walks. Hayley Cruthers capitalized on the chance, sending Taylor Rolison's pitch into orbit for her first career grand slam at Valdosta State.
 
West Florida cut into the lead throughout the next three innings and nearly tied the game in the top half of the fourth inning. Brandy Morgan ruined the chance for the Argonauts, however, when she overshadowed an infield error with a pinpoint throw to the plate to cut down Taylor, who tried to score from second after the miscue.
 
Valdosta State used that momentum in the bottom half of the fourth for five runs on three hits, one of which was a three-run shot by Hartenbach for her second of the young season. The surge gave reliever Kasie Johnson all she needed, as the righty came in to retire the Argonauts without allowing a run in to set the stage for two fifth inning runs and an 11-3 mercy-rule win for VSU.
 
Cruthers finished 4-for-6 on the day, while Mohl added a 5-for-8 effort to lift her batting average up to .529 on the season. Cruthers also recorded seven RBI's during the sweep, which moved her up to 27 RBI's on the season. As such, she now ranks second in the league in RBI's, behind only her teammate Canara.
 
Valdosta State aims to close the series on a high note on Sunday afternoon at Steel's Diamond. First pitch is slated for 1:00 p.m.