VALDOSTA, Ga. - The Valdosta State softball team used a balanced effort throughout the day to secure a pair of wins (5-1, 7-4) at home in a doubleheader sweep of the Montevallo Falcons during Gulf South Conference action on Sunday afternoon at Steel's Diamond at Blazer Park in Valdosta, Ga.
Strong defense was the order of the day in the first game of the twin bill, as pitcher Kasie Johnson and the Blazer gloves set the tone in the top of the first. After allowing back-to-back singles, Johnson struck out Celestia Davila and Lacey Crandall threw out Darbi Duke as she tried to steal third base. The out at third marked just the second time in 44 attempts that Duke had been retired this season while trying to steal a base. After issuing a walk to Haley Barnette, Johnson ended the Falcon threat by catching Brianna Stella looking for her second strikeout of the half inning.
The Blazers used the momentum to plate two runs on two walks and two Montevallo errors, and VSU piled on just one inning later with two additional runs on two hits and another Falcon error. With the 4-0 lead, Tana McDaniel gave the Blazers one additional insurance run with a parking lot solo shot in the third.
The 5-0 advantage was more than enough for Johnson, who pitched around six Falcon hits to allow just one run. The win for Johnson lifted the junior to 9-3 on the season and dropped her ERA below 2.00 at 1.94. The 7.0 inning effort marked her ninth complete game of the 2018 season.
In game two, timely hitting fueled the Blazers, as VSU scored all seven of their runs with two outs. Freshman Cassey Cornelius tied the game at 1-1 in the bottom of the first with an RBI double to right, which gave Valdosta State momentum heading into the second.
After starter Kameron Coggins mowed down the Falcons in order in the top of the second inning, Lacey Crandall sparked VSU's offensive half of the inning with a leadoff single. Haley Garrett followed with a walk, and Logan Hill loaded the bases with a bunt single. Two batters later, Jessica Mohl plated pinch runner Ellington Day with a deep sacrifice fly to left, and Taylor Hartenbach broke the game open and put VSU on top 5-1 with her ninth homer of the year, a three-run laser over the wall in center field.
The Falcons threatened to climb back into the game with two runs in the fourth to pull within two at 6-4, but Kathryn Carter came on in the fifth and delivered three scoreless innings to acquire her first save of the season. The win for Coggins lifted the Lake Park, Ga. native to 3-1 on the year.
Valdosta State further solidified their second place position in the GSC standings with Sunday's success and lifted their record to 31-8 on the year. The Blazers are now 17-6 in GSC play on the season. The visiting Falcons, who entered the weekend in fourth place in the league standings fell to 24-11 overall and dropped to 13-10 in GSC action.
The Blazers will continue their season on the road next weekend with a trip to Carrollton, Ga., where VSU will face the West Georgia Wolves in a three game set. The series is scheduled to begin on Saturday, April 14th with a 1:00 p.m. doubleheader. Look for full coverage of the action at www.vstateblazers.com
