VALDOSTA, Ga. – The Valdosta State baseball team opened the 2020 Gulf South Conference slate, splitting a doubleheader with visiting Shorter Saturday afternoon at Billy Grant Field at Tommy Thomas Park. VSU won the opener 5-1, while Shorter plated five runs in the top of the seventh to take the nightcap, 7-4.
Sunday's rubber-match, which was slated to begin at 1 p.m., has been moved to 10 a.m. due to the threat of inclement weather during the day.
The Blazers hit .268 for the doubleheader Saturday with 15 hits in 56 at bats, while scoring nine runs. VSU had two doubles, one triple, two home runs and drove in nine. Seniors
Nick Lewis and
Logan Stephens each had three hits on the day. Lewis finished 3 of 5 with a run scored and a double, while Stephens was 3 for 7 with a run scored, one double and one triple. Senior
Alec Aleywine went 2 for 5 with three runs scored, a home run and three RBI, while he pitched the final two innings of the opener earning a save.
Blazer senior
Tristan Cone (2-0) pitched a solid first game as he went seven innings, allowing four hits, one earned run, walked two and fanned nine earning the victory. Senior
Zach Blankenship went five innings in the nightcap, allowing three hits, two earned runs, walked four and fanned five, but the Blazer bullpen was unable to keep the 4-2 lead in the seventh. Blazer junior
Jeremy Adams (0-1) took the loss in 1.1 innings of work, allowing two hits, three earned runs, walked one and fanned two. Senior
Alex Tyson pitched the final third of an inning, allowing one hit, two earned runs and walked one.
VSU (4-3, 1-1 GSC) did most of its damage in the opener in the first inning as junior
Dalton Board singled to begin the frame and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt. After the second out, Aleywine singled home the first run of the inning and then Stephens followed with an RBI triple and senior
Mike Christopoulos belted a two run home run for a 4-0 lead.
The Hawks (7-1, 1-1 GSC) began the top of the second with a double from Cory Mason, followed by a single, moving Mason to third. Jakob Woods then singled home the run for a 4-1 score.
VSU left multiple runners on base in the bottom of the second and fifth, while Shorter left the bags full in the seventh. Cone worked out of the jam as he got a pop up to first base to end the threat. In the bottom of the eighth, Stephens began the frame with a single to center as he finished the game a home run short of the cycle. Christopoulos walked, followed by an infield single from senior
Jowenrick Daantji loading the bases. Junior Ryan DelNegro hit a sacrifice fly for a 5-1 score. Stephens and DelNegro each had two hits in the opener for the Blazers. Shorter starter Jacob Arizpe took the loss, going four innings, allowing seven hits, four earned runs, walked one and fanned two.
In the nightcap, neither team had a base runner until the third inning and both were unable to score. Shorter left two stranded in the fourth, including a man at third, as Blankenship came back with a strikeout to end the threat.
The Blazers broke through in the bottom of the fourth inning with an RBI double from Stephens and a bases loaded RBI groundout from junior
Jisjar Clotida for a 2-0 score. VSU left the bags full in the frame Jonathan Pintaro (2-0) got a strikeout to end the threat.
Shorter tied the game at two in the top of the fifth on a RBI ground out and a theft of home, but the Blazers answered in the bottom of the frame with a two run home run from Aleywine – his second round-tripper of the season for a 4-2 score.
The Hawks began the crooked frame in the seventh with a single to left and, after an out, Michael Avendano singled home the first run of the frame for 4-3 score. Tyson came in to pitch for Adams following the run and a sacrifice bunt from Luis Acevedo tied the game at four. Following an intentional walk, and Avendano scored as senior
Tyler Moore replaced Tyson on the bump. Shorter concluded the big frame with a two RBI single for a 7-4 score.
Pintaro retired the Blazers in order in the seventh.
