VALDOSTA, Ga. – The Valdosta State baseball team split a doubleheader with visiting West Georgia Saturday as the Wolves won the opener 7-5 and VSU won the nightcap, 10-7.  The teams will play the rubber-match of the final regular season series Sunday at 1 p.m. on Senior Day.
 
Prior to the game, VSU honored the 40^th Anniversary of the 1979 Valdosta State National Championship baseball team.  A number of former players came back for the ceremony, which included a cocktail party and banquet last night.   From the 1979 team, which went 47-14-1 that season earning VSU's first national title as an institution, Frank Gonzales (3B), Rick Gorey (P), Frank DiGenerro (OF), Carl Owens (C), David Raffensberger (P), Tim Harris (C), Kip McLeod (P), Bart Shuman (SS), Chuck Rigoni (OF) and Ronnie Lundell (P).  Also returning was assistant coach Dave Waples and head coach Tommy Thomas.  Also, a number of former VSU baseball players from any year also returned for the celebration and were honored. 
 
West Georgia 7, Valdosta State 5 (Game 1)
In the top of the third, a single and two hit batsmen loaded the bases with one out.  Logan Taylor hit a bloop-single to short left field for two RBI and a 2-0 lead.  Dan Oberst hit a sacrifice fly for a 3-0 lead. 
 
VSU junior Logan Stephens began the bottom of the fifth with a double down the left field line.  Junior Aaron Haughton hit a ball to right field as the UWG players lost the ball in the sun for a single.  From there, senior Andrew Williamson laced a two RBI double to right center for a 3-2 score.  Junior Jordan Holt tied the game with a single through the right side for a 3-3 score. 
 
Blazer junior starter Tristan Cone worked around a leadoff walk in the top of the sixth and got three ground outs to end the inning as he went over 100 pitches in the contest.  In the bottom of the sixth, VSU used a one out error from the shortstop, followed by a single and a walk as the Blazers chased starter Taylor Boisclair from the game in favor of Sawyer Steele.  Williamson hit into an inning-ending double play off the second pitch from Steele to get the Wolves out of the jam.
 
VSU junior Sean Gabel replaced Cone for the seventh as Cone went six innings, allowing two hits, three earned runs, walked four and fanned four in 118 pitches as he didn't factor into the decision.  Nick Poskey began the top of the seventh with a double to center for the Wolves.  A hit batsmen put two on with nobody out.  On a 2-2 count, Cade Marlowe took the Gable offering deep for a three-run home run and a 6-3 lead and chasing Gabel from the game.
 
Back-to-back walks and a wild pitch put runners at second and third for the Blazers in the bottom of the seventh as Steele was relieved by CJ Fehribach.  Following a strikeout to junior Jowenrick Daantji, senior Josh Broughton narrowly missed a game-tying home run as he hit a two-run triple off the wall for a 6-5 score.
 
With one out and junior Logan Stephens at second for the Blazers in the bottom of the eighth, UWG went to the bullpen in favor of Wes Bucher, relieving Fehribach.  Back-to-back hit batsmen loaded the bases for the Blazers.  On a 3-1 count, junior Jordan Holt hit into a double play to end the inning, as VSU hit into its second inning-ending double play with the bases load in the game. 
 
VSU junior Ethan Koehler relieved junior Anthony Dahl with one out in the ninth and one on base.  The Blazers got a fielder's choice out for the second out.  Junior Bryce Van Horn came in for Koehler on situational pitching and a stolen base moved the UWG runner to third.  An error plated a run for the Wolves and a 7-5 score. 
 
An error put one on for the Blazers in the ninth, but UWG closer Drew Hayles was up to the task for his fifth save of the season. 
 
VSU had five runs on eight hits with three errors, while UWG had seven runs on five hits with two miscues.  Stephens went 3 for 4 with a run scored for the Blazers, while Marlowe was 1 for 4 with three runs scored and three RBI, including the home run. 
 
Steele (1-1) earned the win, going one inning, allowing two earned runs and walked two, while Gabel (2-2) took the loss. 
 
Valdosta State 10, West Georgia 7 (Game 2)
In the bottom of the first of the nightcap, Mack Hathcock began the game with a double to left center and then scored on a sacrifice fly from senior Josh Broughton for a 1-0 lead.  UWG's Lane Griffith doubled down the left field line with two out for a 1-1 score, plating a run in the top of the second. 
 
With one out in the bottom of the second, junior Wesley Brooks doubled home two runs for a 3-1 VSU lead as UWG went to the bullpen, relieving starter Tyler Garner for Valdosta native Greyson McLeod, whose dad, Kip, was a member of the VSU 1979 National Championship baseball team. 
 
Marlowe hit his second home run of the day for a 3-2 score in the top of the third.   Stephens singled up the middle for the Blazers for two RBI and a 5-2 score in the bottom of the third inning with one out.  Brooks singled through the left side for a RBI after and a 6-2 score through three innings.
 
Poskey doubled to left with one out for the Wolves in the fifth and Marlowe singled up the middle for a RBI and a 6-3 score.  Marlowe tried for second and was thrown out trying to steal for the second out, marking just the fourth time he was gunned down this season as he now is 39 of 43. 
 
VSU (26-19, 13-12 GSC) Senior DJ King doubled and Stephens singled with one out in the bottom of the fifth.  Junior Mike Christopoulos hit a fielder's choice as King scored for a 7-3 score.  Brooks singled through the left side for his third hit and RBI of the game and an 8-3 score.
 
The Wolves (26-22, 15-13 GSC) scored a run with one out in the top of the sixth as Joe Skinner singled up the middle and then scored on a double and error from Brody Wortham for an 8-4 score.  Following a walk, VSU made a move to the bullpen as senior Call Graham relieved VSU junior starter Zach Blankenship.   A walk loaded the bases for the Wolves.  Graham walked Dylan Johnson for an 8-5 score as the Blazers brought in senior Trevin Eubanks.  He got a strikeout for the second out and, on the payoff 3-2 pitch, Marlowe singled home two runs for an 8-7 score and brining the ninth batter of the inning to the plate.  Eubanks loaded the bases with a walk, but got a fly out to right to end the inning. 
 
With one on in the bottom of the sixth, Broughton belted his fourth home run of the season for a 10-7 score as he moved into a tie on the team in home runs. 
 
Eubanks retired the first batter in the top of the seventh, but a single through the right side put one on with one out, but he came back with a fly out to center for the second out and a fielder's choice out ended the game. 
 
VSU tallied ten runs on 12 hits and an error, while UWG had seven runs on 12 hits and a miscue.  Blankenship (6-2) earned the win as he went 5.1 innings, allowing ten hits, six runs – five earned, walked one and fanned three.  UWG starter Tyler Garner (4-2) took the loss, going 1.1 innings, allowing three hits, three earned runs and walked two. 
 
Offensively in the nightcap, Broughton was 1 for 2 with two runs scored and three RBI, including the home run, while King was 3 for 3 with two runs scored and three doubles.  Brooks was 3 for 3 with three RBI and Stephens was 2 for 4 with two runs scored and two RBI.  Marlowe was 4 for 4 with four RBI and a run scored for the Wolves, while Wortham was 3 for 4 with two runs scored.
 
Heading into the regular season finale on Sunday, a win over the Wolves and an Alabama Huntsville loss will give the Blazers the No. 5-seed in the upcoming Gulf South Conference Championship, May 3-7 at Choccolocco Park in Oxford, Ala.  VSU will be the No. 6-seed with a win and a UAH win, while the Blazers will be the No. 7-seed with a loss.  The same is true in each scenario for UWG. 
 
Fans can access links to live stats, audio/video streaming, ticket information and more at vstateblazers.com on the baseball schedule page for Sunday's game against UWG.  Chris Caray will have the call of the game on 92.1 WDDQ.