VALDOSTA, Ga. - The Valdosta State baseball team suffered a 10-5 loss to the No. 6 ranked Delta State Statesmen in Gulf South Conference action on Sunday afternoon at Billy Grant Field at Tommy Thomas Park in Valdosta, Ga.
The Blazers struck first in the bottom of the opening frame, after Kendall Herron led off with a walk and moved into scoring position when BJ White was hit by a pitch. With two aboard, DJ King followed with another walk to load the bases, and Dalton Murray drove Herron in from third with a sacrifice fly to put VSU on top 1-0.
The lead didn't last long for VSU, as Delta State turned around and plated four in the top half of the second to take a 4-1 lead. The Statesmen used four hits to fuel the offensive surge in the half-inning, beginning with a Clay Casey walk. Josh Russell and Emil Ellis followed with back-to-back singles to load the bases, and Justin Nussbaum drove in DSU's first two runs with a two-run single to left. Jason Popovich swung for a single through the right side for another RBI and Delta State's fourth consecutive hit, before Nick Morgan drove in Nussbaum with a groundout to third for the fourth run of the half-inning.
The Statesmen piled on in the top of the third with three runs on two hits and two Blazer miscues to take a 7-1 lead, and the Blazers were unable to bounce back, despite runs scored in the fourth, fifth, and ninth innings.
Zack Shannon was the highlight for DSU throughout the afternoon with two solo shots in the game. The pair of homers lifted the senior to seven on the season, which currently places him in the lead among all GSC hitters. Valdosta State added a pair of homers by both Andrew Williamson and Ross Goforth, but insurance runs by Delta State in the fifth, sixth, and ninth, kept the game out of reach.
The Blazers fell to 6-8 overall and saw their GSC record fall to 0-3 on the season, while the Statesmen improved to 3-0 in conference play. Hunter Jones suffered the loss and fell to 1-1 on the year, while Hayden Davey picked up the victory to improve to 3-1.
Valdosta State returns to action on the road this Wednesday, February 28th, for a non-conference showdown with Georgia Southwestern. First pitch is slated for 5:00 p.m., and live coverage will be provided at www.vstateblazers.com.
