PENSACOLA, Fla. – The Valdosta State Blazers scored early and often to complement an impressive pitching performance by Kasie Johnson and lift the Valdosta State softball team to a 6-0 win over Mississippi College in the first round of the NCAA South 1 Regional Tournament in Pensacola, Fla.
 
Jessica Mohl set the tone for the Blazers early with a leadoff single in the top of the first inning, followed by a Chelsea Canara base on balls. With two aboard, Hayley Cruthers was hit by the first pitch she saw, which promptly ended the day for starter Adrianna Morgan. Jordan Holifield came on in relief for the Lady Choctaws, but an RBI grounder by Taylor Hartenbach and a squeeze bunt by Brandy Morgan gave Valdosta State a 2-0 lead prior to the conclusion of the opening frame.
 
Johnson took it from there, and retired nine straight batters during the first three innings of the game. Meanwhile, Valdosta State added another run in the third for a 3-0 lead after Canara led off the inning with a single and moved around the bases with a couple of productive outs, before scoring on wild pitch.
 
In the fourth, freshman Haley Garrett showed off her opposite field power with a towering double off the top of the wall in the right center field. One batter later, Lacey Crandall roped an RBI double down the left field line and came in to score on Canara's second single of the day.
 
Working with a 5-0 advantage, Johnson finally allowed MC a pair of hits in the bottom of the fourth. The Lady Choctaws weren't able to capitalize, however, thanks to a sparkling diving play at short by Mohl that resulted in an inning-ending fielder's choice at second base.
 
Johnson benefitted from one additional run in the top of the seventh on a solo shot by Morgan, and the sophomore righty induced three consecutive infield pop-ups to end the game. The effort improved Johnson to 6-4 on the year and marked her second shutout of the season.
 
With the victory, which marked Valdosta State softball's 1,100^th win, the Blazers lifted their overall record to 38-17. The Lady Choctaws, who scored 30 runs last weekend in their three game Gulf South Conference Championship run, were held to four hits and no runs to fall to 34-19 overall.
 
Valdosta State advanced in the winner's bracket to face the hosting West Florida Argonauts at 11:00 a.m. EST time on Friday morning. With a coin toss victory after Thursday night's win, the Blazers will serve as the home team on the scoreboard. Live coverage of the event will be available via links at www.vstateblazers.com, and fans in Valdosta, Ga. can listen live locally on Talk 92.1/FM.