VALDOSTA, Ga. - The Valdosta State baseball team scored a comeback win in game one, before dropping game two to the Barry Buccaneers in non-conference action on Saturday at Billy Grant Field.
In the series opener, Ross Goforth disrupted an otherwise uneventful bottom of the second with his second home run of the season. The solo blast left the yard and put Valdosta State on top 1-0, but Barry pulled even in the top of the fourth. Jonathan Quintana sparked the Bucs with a leadoff double, and a pair of productive outs brought him around to score.
The top half of the fifth proved to be Barry's best inning of the day, thanks to a two-run Andrew Rapoza double, which capped off a three-hit, five-run half inning. The surge put the Bucs on top 6-1, but Elias Macias drilled a three-run homer in the bottom half of the same inning to keep the game close at 6-4.
Macias struck again two innings later with a leadoff single, and Dalton Murray took full advantage of the opportunity when he crushed a two-run shot off of Angel Almonte to knot the game up at 6-6. Luke Suchon followed with a single through the left side, and Andrew Williamson singled to load the bases after a Max Abramson walk. Buccaneer pitcher Anthony Gutierrez, who came on to relieve Almonte midway through the frame, proceeded to hit both Goforth and BJ White with pitches, which led to two more runs and an 8-6 VSU lead. O'Kevius Conway dealt the final blow with an RBI grounder to second to give VSU their ninth and final run.
Matt Weidenbach benefited from the Blazers' offensive explosion in the bottom of the seventh and scored his first win of the year on one inning of work. Logan Elliott scored the save after holding the Bucs at bay by striking out two and inducing three groundouts over the course of the last seven batters he faced in the game.
The difference in game two came in the top of the fourth, when the Bucs used one Blazer error and three hits, including a three-run homer by Justin Lamazares, to score four decisive runs. The inning resulted in a loss for Sean Gabel, which dropped the junior to 1-2 on the young season.
Valdosta State's lone run came by way of an RBI double by Williamson in the bottom of the fourth inning.
Macias added a hit in game two to lift his performance to 3-for-5 on the day with three RBI's and two runs scored. Suchon went 3-for-5 in the opener, but was held scoreless in the nightcap.
The split shifted the Blazers to 4-5 on the year, while the Bucs moved to 3-5 overall.
