VALDOSTA, Ga. – The No. 9-ranked Valdosta State Blazer softball team used two home runs from junior Natalia Bellinger and a walk-off home run from junior Haley Garrett in the nightcap as VSU won the opener 8-0 in five innings and battled back from a 3-1 deficit for a 4-3 win on Garrett's blast in the bottom of the seventh of the second game.
 
#9 Valdosta State 8, Eckerd 0 (Game 1)
In the opener, senior hurler Kasie Johnson fanned five of the first seven batters in the first two innings.  The Blazers (19-7) used a single up the middle from junior Dream Johnson and a great bunt single from sophomore Kiley Robb to load the bases with nobody out in the second.  Bellinger laced a single through the right side for two runs and a 2-0 lead.  Junior Jordenne Gaten singled home two runs and junior Taylor Strickland singled home a run for a 5-0 lead.  Aaron singled home the sixth run of the inning as the Blazers batted around for a 6-0 lead.
 
In the bottom of the third, Bellinger belted her first home run of the season to left field off Eckerd reliever Ally Costa, who replaced starter Nikole Van Gennep at the beginning of the inning for a 7-0 lead.  The Blazers used a triple off the fence from Strickland and then junior Logan Hill used the squeeze play for a sacrifice bunt and an 8-0 lead, plating Strickland in the fourth. 
 
Johnson retired the Tritons in the top of the fifth for the run-rule win as she allowed two hits with one walk and fanned ten, improving to 9-3 on the year. 
 
Bellinger finished the game 2 for 3 with two runs scored and three RBI, leading three Blazers with two hits each.  Van Gennep (6-11) took the loss for the Tritons, going two innings, allowing six hits, six earned runs, walked two and fanned two. 
 
#9 Valdosta State, Eckerd (Game 2)
Eckerd (11-19) used a solo home run in the top of the third inning from Van Gennep for a 1-0 lead off VSU sophomore starter Caylie Van Auken.  Junior Logan Hill belted a double to the wall, plating the equalizing run in the bottom of the third.
 
In the top of the fourth with two out and two on, EC's Avery Wakefield doubled to left field, plating two runs as the Tritons regained the lead at 3-1, chasing Van Auken from the game in favor of junior Giovanna Watts.
 
Bellinger ripped a double to center and a walk followed in the bottom of the fourth, but Eckerd got the final two outs to get out of the jam as VSU left six stranded in the game to that point. 
 
A leadoff walk and a Bellinger home run to right center tied the game in the bottom of the sixth as it was her second round-tripper of the day.  In the bottom of the seventh, junior Garrett belted her fifth home run of the season, and her only hit of the day, in walk-off fashion as the Blazers won 4-3. 
 
Watts (3-1) took the win as she went 3.1 innings, allowing just two hits with three strikeouts.  Van Auken went 3.2 innings, allowing seven hits, three earned runs and struck out eight.  Bellinger was 2 for 2 in the nightcap with a run scored and two RBI, along with a double.  For the day, Bellinger went 4 for 5 with three runs scored, one double, two home runs and five RBI. 
 
The Blazers, who had a doubleheader scheduled for tomorrow at Albany State, had it moved to April 2, and now will travel to Alabama Huntsville for a Gulf South Conference series this weekend, before returning home to host Auburn Montgomery Mar. 30-31 at Steel's Diamond.