CLEVELAND, Tenn. – Blazer baseball got off to a fast start on Tuesday for a mercy-rule win over the Lee Flames, but fell in the nightcap for a Gulf South Conference split (11-1, 0-5) on Friday in Cleveland, Tenn.
 
Game one was all VSU, as Hunter Jones (4-1) cruised through his first complete-game effort of the season with the help of an offensive explosion that helped the Blazers abbreviate the game with a ten run advantage after eight innings.
 
Jones struck out five and allowed just five hits, while the Blazer offense shredded through four Lee pitchers for 12 hits, three of which came in a two-run first inning. Kendall Herron sparked Valdosta State early with a leadoff single and promptly stole second base before he was picked off on the next play. The Blazers muted the miscue, however, throughout the remainder of the inning, as Ryan Slaughter singled, and David Wortham followed with an eight-pitch at bat that resulted in an RBI triple to right center field. Luke Suchon plated Wortham in the next at bat with an RBI grounder to the right side.
 
The Blazers used the first inning momentum to score runs in four of their next seven innings, including three in the fourth and four in the seventh. Valdosta State did it all without the benefit of a home run, as each of the first four hitters in the order fueled the effort with two hits each.
 
In game two, Lee turned the tide and recorded four of their six hits in the opening inning against Blazer starter Austin Hamilton. The early surge put the Flames out in front 3-0 early, and VSU was unable to solve Lee's Rob Gustitus, who dealt six innings of three-hit baseball to hold the Blazers scoreless through six.
 
Gustitus improved to 3-1 with the victory, while Hamilton fell to 3-3 on the season. The Blazers slid to 19-10 overall and 10-7 against GSC opponents, while the Flames moved to 20-10 overall and 9-8 in conference play.
 
The Blazers will look to take the series tomorrow, with the first pitch slated for 1:00 p.m. in Cleveland, Tenn.