VALDOSTA, Ga. - The Valdosta State softball team unloaded on the Flagler Saints in the third inning of a 7-4 game one victory, before falling in the nightcap, 3-1, in non-conference softball action on Thursday night in Valdosta, Ga. at Steel's Diamond at Blazer Park.
Sophomore pitcher Kathryn Carter got off to a tremendous start for the Blazers in the opening game and retired three of the first six batters she faced by way of strikeouts. In the third inning, one unearned run crossed for the Saints after a leadoff error allowed Rachel Hudson to reach. Hudson advanced to second on a follow-up base hit, moved to third on a sacrifice bunt, and crossed by way of a wild pitch, which initially appeared to have made contact with Garland Evans bat as she tried to bunt an offering from Evans.
The damage was negated by the Blazers in the bottom half of the same inning, when Valdosta State used a series of patient plate appearances to draw four walks en route to a 6-run spot. The series of free passes came after Jessica Mohl was hit by a pitch and scored from first on a double to right center field by Taylor Hartenbach. The walks that followed allowed the Blazers to take a lead that they would never again give up, despite a late inning surge by the Saints, which forced Head Coach
Thomas Macera to go to Ashtin Strickland for the close in the final inning.
In game two, the Blazers struggled to find rhythm at the plate. The red and black settled for just four hits overall in the game, one of which came from Mohl in the bottom of the final inning. Starter Katlyn McCue kept the Blazers off balance for most of the game, with the exception of Cassey Cornelius, who crushed her second home run of the week over the left field wall in the fourth inning.
The lone run wasn't enough, as the Saints used some timely hitting with an odd rundown play in the third for the runs they needed to claim the victory. McCue scored the victory to improve to 4-1, while Kasie Johnson suffered the loss to fall to 0-1 overall. Carter picked up the game one victory to improve to 4-0 on the year, while Ally Marcano suffered the loss to fall to 3-1.
The split pushed Valdosta State to a 10-2 record overall, while the Saints slid to 7-2 on the young season.
The Blazers hit the road on Friday for a trip to Montgomery, Ala., where VSU will compete in the GSC Crossover. VSU opens up on Saturday with a 12:00 p.m. EST showdown with Christian Brothers, before the squad turns the page to a 2:30 p.m. matchup against North Alabama. Finally, the Blazers will meet Mississippi College on Sunday at noon. Look for live links and coverage for all the action, right here at www.vstateblazers.com.
