VALDOSTA, Ga. - The Valdosta State Blazer softball team traded victories with the Flagler Saints for a 5-4, 4-8 split in non-conference softball action in St. Augustine, Fla. on Wednesday afternoon.

The Saints scored an unearned run in the bottom half of the second inning of game one, but the Blazer offense picked up the slack in the top half of the third for three runs on four hits. The number nine hitter in the Blazer lineup, Tara McIntyre, singled to start the half inning, and Chelsea Canara kept it going two batters later with a one-out single to left. McIntyre moved all the way to third on the base hit, and Canara moved up to second on the play at third to set the stage for Taylor Hartenbach, who plated both base runners with a double to right center field. On the ensuing at-bat, Hayley Cruthers drove in Hartenbach with a single back through the box, which pushed the Blazers out to a 3-1 lead midway through the third inning.

Hartenbach, who entered the day tied for 11th in the country with 24 RBI's, racked up four more on the day to improve to 29 on the season. In addition to the two third inning runs batted in game one, the junior plated one in the top of the fifth on a solo shot to right, and she drove in McIntyre for the deciding run of the game in the top of the sixth inning with an infield single to third.

Flagler used three Valdosta State errors in the bottom of the sixth for three unearned runs, but the Blazer defense recovered one inning later and used two clutch defensive plays to ward off a potential comeback victory by the Saints in the bottom of the final inning. The first came after a walk and a single by Whitney Woodard and Alli-Ann Bigale, respectively. Bigale's single moved Woodard up to third, but Bigale wandered too far off of first base during McIntyre's return throw to the infield. Shortstop Jessica Mohl smelled the out, and she snapped a throw over to first at the end of the play for the first out of the inning.

During the following at-bat, Lacey Crandall removed the potential tying run from the base paths when she fired to Canara to pick Woodard off of third base for the second out. Reliever Avery Lamb allowed two additional base runner before inducing a groundout to strand both and pick up the save.

Kathryn Carter picked up the game one victory to improve to 7-0 on the season, which placed her in a tie for second place with teammate Avery Lamb for the league leaderboard in wins.

In game two, VSU struck first when Crandall delivered an RBI single to put VSU up 1-0. The Saints quickly reclaimed the lead, however, after Lamb allowed two runs on three hits.

The Blazers returned fire in the top of the third with two runs, but three-run innings for the Saints in both the third and the fifth proved to be the demise of Valdosta State in the nightcap.

All total, the Saints racked up nine runs in game two on ten hits. Center fielder Garland Evans led the way with a 3-for-4 effort at the plate and three RBI's.

Maci Fletcher took the loss to fall to 0-1 on the season, while Ally Marcano improved to 10-3 on the season after holding the Blazers to just five hits in the game.

The Blazers slid to 17-4 on the year following the split, while Flagler moved to 12-11.

Valdosta State returns to action on Saturday to kick off a three game weekend series against the visiting West Alabama Tigers. Saturday's doubleheader is set for a 2:00 p.m. first pitch at Steel's Diamond at Blazer Park.